Midnight.

A shadow moved by the small hill where the wind rarely blew. It
crawled along the ground, stopping every few steps to check
the surroundings, then advancing; it was a demon with black
hair, similar to a dog, which took routine action.
The demon dog climbed the hill cautiously, its eyes squinting at
the distant bright light.
It was an artificial light. It was the capital of 【Hairihi Kingdom,】
blooming fully at night.
With it being deep in the night, most in the city were dreaming.
Of course, outlaws aside, this was a time for shrewd
merchants to conduct some business.
Even without them, there were soldiers keeping watch,
adventurers handling requests, and many night time shops.
Needless to say, this was not 【Neutral Commerce City Fyuren,】
the “Capital which does not sleep.” One by one, the lights
disappeared, leaving only a gentle light glowing beneath the
moon and the stars.
The demon dog watched continuously. Its body trembled as it felt
signs. The demon dog ran away quickly noticing the true colors
of the presence.
「--- Gururu.」
It groaned quietly, but there was no particular reaction.
This was natural. The presence was not something generated by a
living creature.
The dog glanced ahead; there was a slight light emitted from the
ground. The true color of the presence was magic. The magic
light pulsated, stimulating the demon dog's caution.
The demon dog watched the magic light for a while.
Understanding there was no danger, it slowly approached.
And when it placed its forefoot on the light, it seemed to hit
something firm.
It was like a slab. A lithograph with an extremely complex
geometrical pattern drawn on it.
The demon dog tried to dig the slab up out of curiosity.
Next, the demon dog began jumping up and down.
Another light was generated a short distance away.
Then a third, then a fourth, one after another, they appeared.
Its instincts told it to retreat. The demon dog trembled and ran
away at full speed.
Its judgment was correct. After 10 minutes, the lights numbered
more than 100, each one connecting to form a huge magic
formation on the surface.
It was the same pattern drawn on the slab. Surely only the Blood
Sucking Princess, a genius magician, would be able to see its
true nature.
--- It was a formation for teleportation.
Yes, a large formation which could bring forth a large army at any
time.
Shea was the first to notice.
「Eh? Hajime-san, that's... they're being attacked?」
As usual, Hajime and Yue were flirting in the car while Kaori was
trying to separate them. A Ddragon and a demoness were
about to fight, and, as a result, Hajime was driving dangerously
while barely looking forward. Shea's words brought his gaze to
the front.
As Shea said, there was a caravan being attacked. The group had
formed a united front and were going back on offense and
defense. People could be heard screaming. Hajime used “Far
Sight” to perceive the situation accurately.
「The enemy looks like a group of bandits... there's about forty
people there... and the caravan has fifteen guards. I guess it's
their strength that have let them hold on this long.」
「... Mm, a good barrier, too.」
「Right, it is like a rampart. They cannot approach the caravan
without properly destroying it. Their magic is not passing
through, either.」
「But doesn't it look like it's weakening?」
「Well, the barrier is covering the entire caravan, so the person
must be quite good, especially to hold on so long... Still, if the
bandits just wait, it will go down eventually.」
Most likely, the bandits had made a surprise attack, since several
people were crouching and injured; there were many who
died, as well.
The only reason the caravan managed to last so long was because
the barrier was strong. The guard had further reduced the
numbers. If the barrier went down, most likely the women
would be exposed in public and the men would be tortured to
death. Those outside the barrier had suffered such a fate, and
the bandits were showing them off.
As Hajime had guessed, the barrier lost its effect. The bandits
 raised a shout and rushed the caravan, smiling as they looked
at the treasure before them.
Though the guard desperately fought back, they were few in
number and fell one by one.
At that time, Kaori requested Hajime rescue the caravan, her
voice full of anxiety.
「Hajime-kun, please! Help them! It could be...」
Hajime did not hear Kaori's words to the end and silently
accelerated Brise. Because it was clear the caravan would be
annihilated if they did nothing, he acted on Kaori's pleas.
Brise accelerated like a rocket, throwing dust to the air.
「Hajime-kun... thank you.」
Kaori smiled who acted immediately. Hajime simply shrugged his
shoulders.
Yue and the others simply put on their seat belts.
「U, umm, Hajime-kun? I hope I'm wrong, but...」
Kaori had a cramp in her cheeks as Brise increased in speed.
Certainly, he was going to their rescue, but for someone who
knew the common sense traffic laws on Earth, it felt more like
he was carrying out a preemptive attack since he was speeding
faster.
Hajime answered Kaori with a clear face.
「If you catch an offender, step on the accelerator... didn't we
learn it in training school?」
「Of course not! Don't misinterpret traffic laws on your own!
Look, everyone else is agreeing with me!」
While Kaori was full of responses, Hajime did not show any signs
of worrying as he rushed toward the man in charge of the
bandits from the rear. I have no intent in stopping for a
criminal! He almost said.
The mysterious object appeared, kicking up a dust storm, and it
was approaching rapidly. The leader of the bandits finally
noticed it and issued orders to his companions in a panic. They
began chanting magic. They thought it was a demon rather
than a mass of metal operated by a person.
Hajime ran magic through a gimmick on Brise. A blade 1 meter in
length flung out from each side, the roof, and the bonnet.
Though the bandits used Fire Magic, nothing happened.
Regardless, it was meaningless; he had no mind to discuss
things.
No matter how many fire bullets hit the vehicle, it continued on
without changing at all. The bandits' faces were greatly
distorted.
Dogoo! Bakii! Gusha! Terror, despair, confusion --- the bandits had
such expressions as they were cut down without any
resistance.
One person was torn up by the blade on the roof while another
was cut by the blade on the bonnet. Others had their bodies
sliced in two by the blades on the side despite trying to evade.
Others had their bones and organs crushed by the mass
traveling at 80 kilometers an hour.
In an instant, seven people died.
Hajime drifted, turning the car around and stopped.
The bandits and the people of the caravan stared at Brise with
mouths agape as they watched the slaughter play. The guards
approached each other, and everyone, guard and bandit alike,
looked at everyone else.
Ignoring them, Hajime opened his mouth to confirm something as
he looked at Kaori.
「Don't heal them, or I won't forgive you. I'll exterminate them. I
will show no mercy. You understand, right?」
「... Yeah. I understand.」
No matter how gentle Kaori was, he would not allow her to heal
people hostile to him. If she wanted to do so, then it would be
impossible for her to remain his companion. She would be
better off with the Hero Party.
Kaori, after taking a deep breath, nodded with a resolute
expression.
「Then go. I won't let them stop you.」
「Yes!」
Kaori ran out of Brise and headed to the wounded. The bandits,
seeing a young girl leave the vehicle, regained their senses and
attacked Kaori as she ran up to the caravan, their faces filled
with anger.
「You shitty brat! Die!」
While crying angrily, a bandit held up a sword.
However, Kaori did not bother looking at the man as she ran,
singing an aria for the injured people without slowing down.
The man, enraged that Kaori ignored him, clenched his teeth, but
his head popped the next second. His life ended so easily.
--- Dopan! Dopan! Dopan! Dopan! Dopan! Dopan!
Every time the explosion sounded, a wind of murderous intent
blew. One by one, the bandits had their heads crushed, blood
spraying in the air. The guards, who had been saved, felt a
shiver down their spine.
It was too overwhelming, too merciless. Forty or more bandits
had been reduced to half the number in only a few seconds.
Several bandits panicked from the unreal situation.
From the vehicle appeared a rabbit girl. One of the guards yelled
「Watch out!」but it was an idle fear. After all, it was Shea
who advanced; she was a combat rabbit who had no blind
spots!
Shea took out Drücken from “Treasure Warehouse” and grasped
it, throwing it down in an instant. It hit a thin film which
seemed to spread, a single point in the air. The bandits who
approached her were blown away.
「Eh? Wa, too much blood!」
Apparently, she had been confronting only abnormal enemies, so
she was not yet accustomed to adjusting her strength. With
only a small fragment of her power, the bandits had their
torsos torn away. Shea, surprised by the amount of blood,
jumped back in a panic.
While Shea stood amazed, an unforgivable storm of magic created
by Yue and Tio attacked the bandits.
Though the remaining ten bandits began running away, they were
 not fast enough. They died as they were shot through. They
had no time to beg for their lives. This was truly a massacre
without a fragment of mercy.
Kaori had used Light Recovery Magic to heal several people.
Wounded adventurers and people from the caravan were
healed in an instant. Unfortunately, the adventurers and
guards who had fallen before the five appeared could no
longer return to life. Even with Reproduction Magic, reviving
them was impossible.
Suddenly, a shadow ran up fiercely to Kaori. The person was
small, eyes covered, a doubtful person by all respects.
However, this person was the one who had created the barrier.
Hajime, having confirmed this by the color and flow of magic,
did not particularly stop this person.
「Kaori!」
The hooded person jumped at Kaori and clung to her with all her
might while calling her name with a lovely voice. Kaori took a
deep breath in astonishment, guessing the person's identity,
and muttered her name.
「Lily! Like I thought, it was you? I thought that barrier was
familiar. I didn't think you'd be in a place like this, but still...」
The person was Lily.
--- Princess of Hairihi Kingdom, Liliana S. B. Hairihi.
That was she.
Liliana seemed relieved from the bottom of her heart. Her blue
eyes peeping faintly from behind her fair hair glittered. She
muttered, impressed, as she watched Kaori.
「I did not think I would be able to meet you in a place like this,
either... It seems my luck has not run out yet.」
「Lily? What do you mean...」
Kaori could not understand the meaning behind Liliana's words.
Liliana placed her finger on Kaori's mouth, stopping Kaori from
saying her name any further.
She did not have her attendants with her; she had disappeared in
the caravan and traveled along with them here. Kaori, guessing
 something happened, had a troubled expression.
「Kaori, is your treatment complete?」
While Kaori and Liliana looked at each other earnestly, Hajime
had appeared to their side.
Since he showed no sign of approaching, Liliana shouted 「Hya!」
in surprise in her cute voice. She looked up at Hajime from
beneath her hood and thought for a while. Suddenly, it
seemed a lamp in her head turned on as she began greeting
him.
「... Nagumo-san, right? It has truly been a long time. I heard you
were alive from Shizuku. It seems you gained the strength to
live. Thank goodness... But why did you not go see Kaori when
you returned?」
「Lily! That doesn't matter now!」
「Fu fu, will you tell me the details of Kaori's confession? I would
like to hear it later, okay?」
Liliana seemed to be teasing Kaori and began smiling while Kaori
turned crimson.
The Princess' smile was one of the reasons she was so popular. It
was a beautiful, cute smile which pleased young, old, men,
and women alike.
However, Hajime looked at her without any change in expression.
Clearly not reading the air, he spoke.
「... Who are you?」
「Eh?」
When Hajime was still in the Kingdom, Liliana and Kaori had
become close friends, and Liliana had voluntarily spoken to all
the students on several occasions. Certainly, because Hajime
was in a delicate position, she had not spoken to him that
often, but she had many a pleasant chat with Kaori about him.
And so, Liliana, the princess with an open heart who was sociable
and kind, for the first time in her life, experienced being
forgotten. The shock was large, and she let out an odd sound
unworthy of a princess.
In place of Liliana who was stunned, Kaori seemed to panic. If it
was found that Liliana was the princess, things would be
troublesome, so she kept her tone low.
「H, Hajime-kun! Princess! She's the Princess! Princess of Hairihi
Kingdom, Liliana! I'm sure you two spoke!」
「... Ah.」
「Gusu, to think I would be forgotten, gusu.」
「Lily! Don't cry! Hajime-kun is a bit like that! Hajime-kun
“always” forgets people! So don't cry, okay?」
「Hey, who the hell are you casually abusing?」
Because Kaori was desperate to soothe Liliana who had tears in
her eyes, Hajime instinctively gave a verbal jab.
However, Kaori said, 「Please be quiet!」Liliana simply said, 「No,
it is fine, Kaori. I was just a little conceited. 」Naturally, Kaori
could no longer complain with that. Regardless, it was
completely the fault of Hajime who had forgotten Liliana's
existence.
Yue and the others approached, as well as someone with a
familiar face.
「It has been quite a while. You seem to be well... and it sounds
like you've been quite active as well.」
「The nutritional supplement drink person...」
「Nutritional supplement drink? Certainly, we sell those in our
company... and they are quite popular...」
「Ah~ No, it's nothing. Moore, right?」
「Yes, I'm glad you remember. You helped us in quite a dangerous
place. This is the second time.」
The man smiled brilliantly while requesting a hand shake. He was
the leader of the caravan for whom Hajime served as a guard
when leaving 【Brook】to go to 【Neutral Commerce City
Fyuren,】Moore Yunker of the Yunker company.
He had been driven by a reckless commercial spirit which Hajime
remembered well. Hajime learned how aggressive merchants
could be in this world thanks to Moore. It had not declined,
either. When they shook hands, he casually felt the ring,
“Treasure Warehouse” on Hajime's finger. His eyes were
clearly saying, 「Isn't it about time you think about selling it?」
Behind them, Shea explained how they had met before. 「Even
though you only met him once... I, even though I'm a
princess...」
Liliana was further depressed. Kaori desperately tried to comfort
her while glaring at Hajime.
According to Moore, they were traveling to 【Ankaji Dukedom】
via 【Post Town Horuad,】the troubles in Ankaji having spread
amongst merchants. The merchants had gathered together
and were traveling to do business. They had returned to the
capital to restock. From how he looked, he had made quite a
considerable amount of profit.
Hajime and the others were going to Fyuren via Horuad to report
to Iruwa about Myuu's return before heading to 【Hartsenna
Sea of Trees.】Moore, hearing this, begged for them to guard
the caravan on the way to Horuad.
However, there was one person who had been waiting. It was
Liliana.
「My apologies. I have taken your time. Though it is selfish of me,
I hope you would permit me to part here instead of going to
Horuad as well...」
「Oh? Do you not need to go to Horuad any longer?」
「Yes. Of course, I will pay you the amount necessary.」
Apparently, Liliana was scheduled to go to Horuad by taking
advantage of Moore's carriage.
However, she met Hajime on the way, and it was no longer
necessary. Hajime wanted to say something but remained
silent when Kaori said 「Don't bully Lily any more!」
「I see... No, it is enough that I was able to help you. The money is
not necessary.」
「Eh? No, I could not possibly...」
Moore firmly refused the money, confusing Liliana. She had been
completely in debt to the caravan which covered her food and
bedding, yet he deferred payment. Though she was uneasy,
Moore's words were completely unexpected.
Moore had a troubled smile.
「Not once had I thought of claiming payment... Rather, I believe I
should give you advice. Usually, when someone joins me, I
state the rate and require an advance payment, though there
are people I will depart with from whom I can't take money
from. This is such a case.」
「You...」
「Though I don't understand the circumstances, I understand who
you are, so surely this is a matter of the greatest importance
for you to travel alone. If it is such an emergency that you can't
even go to the posts, then, to say nothing of the merchants, no
person in this country would be able to introduce themselves
with confidence.」
From the way Moore spoke, he had noticed who Liliana was from
the start. Though he noticed, he pretended not to know so as
to help Liliana.
「Then please accept a token of my gratitude. Thanks to you, I
was able to leave the Capital.」
「Hmm... though this is sudden, it is hard to stock some things.
Do you know what it is I need the most?」
「Eh? No... I do not know.」
「That is “trust.”」
「Trust?」
「Yes. Business does not begin without trust, nor will it continue.
Profit can't be made. In other words, I wish to ask you, is
Moore Yunker's company worthy of your trust? If it is, then I
have received more than enough of a reward...」
Liliana smiled wryly in her mind hearing his words. If she passed
money to him, it would be the same as saying she did not trust
him. Rather, it would be the opposite of a reward.
Liliana gave up and looked at Moore straight in the eye.
「You are a firm that is truly deserving of the trust of Princess
Liliana of Hairihi Kingdom. I will never forget your goodwill and
devotion. Thank you...」
「Those words are more than enough.」
Moore received Liliana's words as Princess and bowed his head
deeply.
Afterward, Liliana and Hajime left while Moore advanced down
the highway to head to Horuad according to schedule. When
they left, they talked about how Hajime and the girls had
received the Heresy Recognition. Moore advised them, saying
the atmosphere in the capital was particularly bad. Hajime
also offered information that Ankaji Dukedom had completely
recovered. 「By all means, please keep us in your favor in the
future.」Moore was a merchant to the end.
After Moore left, Hajime heard Liliana's story in Brise. Liliana's
expression was one of tension and frustration, giving everyone
a bad feeling. Finally, Liliana began to talk...
「Aiko-san... was kidnapped.」
It was worse than Hajime expected.
Liliana took a long time to summarize her story.
Recently, the atmosphere in the Palace was odd. Liliana had
sensed this incompatibility for a while now.
King Elhid, her father, devoted himself to the Saint Church more
than before. Sometimes he would become delirious and
worship “Eht-sama.” The other leaders were also the same.
That was not all, the Devils had become more and more active, as
if helping to strengthen the influence of the Saint Church.
Though Liliana tried to persuade herself...
That was not the only source of the incompatibility. Many knights
and soldiers were lacking in ambition and seemed lifeless.
Even if she asked, even knights she was familiar with, she
would only receive a mechanical response. They did not have
their former cheerfulness, it was as if they were suffering from
illness.
She wanted to consult with Commander Meld, the knight whom
she had the most confidence in, but he was busy training
Kouki. After she had seen him once, she was never able to
reach him again.
Meanwhile, Aiko had returned to the castle to report the details
on the events in 【Lake Town Ul.】
Liliana was also there. At that hearing, Hajime was branded a
heretic. He had the distinguished services of saving the town
of Ul as well as all of the Hero Party. Aiko, someone who had a
clear popularity and influence as the “Goddess of Fertility,”
objected, but everything was decided while disregarding her
opinion.
Naturally, Liliana protested against Elhid, but he was not changing
his mind, no matter what she said. It was as if he was beyond
stubborn and was now obsessed. Whenever Liliana protested,
he said she did not have enough faith. Gradually, he began
looking at her like an enemy.
Liliana was frightened. She pretended to understand and ran
away. She went to consult with Aiko to express her own
anxieties.
When she heard Aiko was going to talk about the information on
God Hajime had received on his travels and in the Abyss during
dinner time, Liliana wanted to go.
Liliana left from Aiko's room to head to the dining hall where Aiko
would eat. On her way there, she heard someone quarreling
on the other side of a corner.
She peeped around the wall and saw Aiko passing out by the
hands of a woman with silver hair and a nun's habit.
Liliana felt a bottomless fear from the woman with silver hair and
entered a nearby room. She hid her breath while entering a
concealed passage known only to the Royal Family.
Though the woman came looking for her, she did not find Liliana
due to an artifact which hid presences located in the
concealed passage. She soon left without finding Liliana.
Liliana thought the woman may have been the wire puller and
stood up, thinking about who she could tell.
However, judging by the fact that the woman had ambushed Aiko,
she thought the students were being watched as well, and she
did not know if Meld could be relied on at this point in time.
After worrying for some time, Liliana recalled her friend who was
no longer in the Capital.
It was Kaori. From what she heard, Kaori had left with Nagumo
Hajime who had survived. With only these two people to rely
on, Liliana left the hidden passage and headed straight to
Ankaji Dukedom.
If it was Ankaji, she could receive the help of Lord Zengen, since
the problems in the castle had likely not reached them yet.
Furthermore, it was highly probable they would be able to
meet there eventually.
「I was helped by the passing Yuunker caravan. I did not think
they would realize who I was from the start. Regardless, we
were attacked by bandits on the way, and the rest is as you
know, though I did not dream of being helped by all of you... I
would have thought of this as “God's Providence” before...
But... I... now... I'm afraid of the Saint Church... What is going
on... That nun with silver hair... Father...」
Liliana held her body, trembling in fear. Rather than a princess
who was known to be talented, she looked like a simple girl.
However, that could not be helped. All the people she trusted
had been changed before she realized it. They had been taken
from her.
Kaori closely held Liliana to ease her fear even a little.
Hajime clicked his tongue when seeing this. The situation Liliana
talked about was just like “the final years” they had seen in
【Undersea Ruins Merjinne.】One after another, people were
charmed by God. The situation was now extremely dangerous.
Still, this was not something he would normally be concerned
about. No, it would mean he would have to increase the speed
at which he acquired Age of Gods Magic. It was necessary to
find a means to escape this world.
However, Hajime had an idea as to why Aiko was kidnapped. The
most likely reason was because Aiko was going to talk about
the truth of the gods as well as Hajime's own purpose.
Hajime's intent to drive a wedge of suspicion in Kouki had
been the reason.
In that case, it was Hajime's responsibility for using her.
Though he was not necessarily in the mind to help, he was not
about to indulge the people who manipulated others like
puppets without understanding their purpose.
Still, Hajime could not ignore her “now” after she had given him a
means to live a better life.
In that case...
「For now, let's go help Sensei.」
Hajime made his decision. He would not desert her, he would
save her.
Liliana looked up joyfully. She was relieved that he was,
unexpectedly, going back to the capital with her. From what
Shizuku had told her, Hajime was completely indifferent to the
world as well as his classmates, so she thought it would be
difficult to persuade him, but he helped surprisingly easily.
「Is that really all right?」
Liliana asked for confirmation. Hajime simply shrugged his
shoulders.
「Don't misunderstand me. My purpose is not the Kingdom. My
purpose is Sensei. She was probably kidnapped because of me,
I can't just leave it.」
「For Aiko-san...」
Liliana understood Hajime was not lending his power to her for
the Kingdom. Though she was a bit disappointed, she calmed
herself down.
She smiled on reflex hearing Hajime's following words.
「Well, if I accidentally stop whatever is causing you problems
when I help Sensei...」
「... I see. Fu fu, I expect much of you. Thank you in advance,
Nagumo-san...」
The woman who wore a nun's habit had kidnapped Aiko. The king
and the leaders of the country had devoted themselves
around the Saint Church.
In short, helping Aiko would mean confronting this problem at the
same time. Hajime doing what he pleased would accomplish
the same thing as helping Liliana.
Liliana and Kaori smiled at each other, misinterpreting Hajime's
smile.
Hajime, besides helping Aiko, had another goal.
It was 【Shinzan.】One of the Age of Gods Magic was in
【Shinzan】according to Mildy. One of the Seven Great
Labyrinths seemed to have its entrance in the head temple of
the Saint Church. If he wanted to search for the entrance, the
Saint Church would be a troublesome obstruction.
He decided to leave 【Hartsenna Sea of Trees】for later... This
time, he had a reason to head to 【Shinzan,】and, in the
process of rescuing Aiko, it was likely he would fight the large
religion. In that case... Hajime would simply take the fight to
them and obtain the Age of Gods Magic.
The woman with silver hair Liliana saw... stuck in Hajime's mind.
In 【Undersea Ruins Merjinne,】the person standing next to
King Alfred during the party also had “silver” hair.
Whether it was the same person or not, he did not understand.
The eras were completely different. However, Hajime had a
feeling he would have to kill the woman with silver hair.
Hajime was filled with the will to fight. If they obstructed his path,
 no matter the enemy, he would kill them without fail. Hajime's
eyes had a glint like a wild wolf, a ferocious smile on his
mouth.
「... Hajime, wonderful.」
「Hauu, Hajime-san has that face again. My chest is feeling
tight~」
「Muu, Master, if you show such a brutal expression... are you
trying to get me wet?」
Even so, the atmosphere was indescribably odd as the women
blushed and panted.

Some time before.

Some time before Aiko was kidnapped and Liliana escaped from
the capital.
There was a person in an open area a ways from the palace. It was
a quiet place. The whispers of the night wind blew through the
air, seemingly clearing the atmosphere. It was a serene silence
beneath the moonlight with a somewhat melancholic
atmosphere.
This was natural. It was a graveyard.
Of course, it was on the royal palace grounds, so it was not a
place where the dead were normally buried. There was a large
stone monument carved into the rock face of 【Shinzan.】It
was like a monument honoring war heroes (a tower there the
souls of the dead who were loyal to the country were said to
rest.) Those killed in action or those who were victims while
carrying out their duties to the kingdom, their names were cut
here without exception.
The true color of the shadow who stood before the monument
was the lead of Hairihi Kingdom's knighthood, Meld Lawrence.
Though expressionless, he had strong, heavy feelings he could not
put in words.
It was around midnight, no one, save for soldiers, would be
around the palace. It was unusual to visit such a lonely place
 as well.
Those who come here come to give honor to the dead.
「--- Commander.」
A man's quiet voice was carried by the wind. Meld turned his gaze
to find a visitor coming with noiseless steps. It was Jose
Rancaid. He was Vice-Commander of the knights and Meld's
direct subordinate.
「Any problems?」
「Yes, no one is looking. But we cannot stay too long.」
「The top 2 in the knighthood having a secret meeting in a place
like this at midnight. 『What on earth are you planning?』I'm
sure others would say.」
Seeing Meld slightly twist his lips, Jose smiled bitterly.
「... So, what of the army?」
His expression immediately turned stern. Jose's expression was
not bright either. Rather, it seemed a little pale.
「... Including the head of the army, about 60% of the
commanders also seem “vacant.”」
As for what Jose meant by “Vacant,” it was a strange
phenomenon spreading through the palace. It first appeared in
soldiers and knights of the lower class, to put it simply, they
seemed indifferent.
They did their work properly, and though t hey answered, there
was an obvious lack of ambition which was present before;
they never smiled, they stayed indoors, and they rarely
associated with others.
The symptoms spread as aristocrats with a strong backing showed
symptoms, then even division heads of the knighthood
developed them.
There was something strange, and Meld, holding a sense of crisis,
began investigating.
「Fortunately, less than 10% of the knights are affected. The
symptoms are not in battalion commanders, which is
fortunate.」
「... Um, Commander. How should I put it... is this really an
 attack? Or are they being discouraged by something?」
Hearing Jose's report, Meld's expression hardened more and
more, causing Jose to stammer as he asked.
「The Hero was defeated, the elites of the knights were lost, and
in a situation where the Devils are slowly closing our
advantage in numbers? I understand your feelings, Jose. But
stop being optimistic. It'll happen to you otherwise.」
「My apologies.」
Jose was not being optimistic. As vice-commander, his duties
included taking a view different from his superior's. He
coughed once. Then Jose opened his mouth again.
「So, Leader? Is there any influence in His Majesty?」
「Currently, he is fine. There are no symptoms of him being
“vacant.” Rather, he is more ambitious. In my Lord's name, I
will not let the Devils' brutality go, he said... but...」
「? What is it?」
Seeing Meld inarticulate, Jose tilted his head.
Meld hesitated to speak; in the end, he could not find suitable
words. 「It's nothing,」he shook his head --- He could not say
the king was devoting himself too much to God. As both a
believer himself and as a subordinate.
「There are no problems with the Prime Minister. However, the
center will not remain safe for sure.」
Saying this, he spoke the name of several aristocrats who were
showing symptoms, causing Jose's vision to blur. Though the
powerful aristocrats who supported the kingdom were safe,
there were powerful people in every faction affected.
「I will report to His Majesty and appeal for a guard from the
knights. The Imperial Guard, too, the Temple Knights as well.
Report to me immediately if there is an accident.」
「Does His Majesty know about people going “vacant?”」
Naturally, there was the concern about King Elhid receiving a
mental attack from a mysterious enemy.
No matter the symptoms, the numbers spoke for themselves.
Immediate action was necessary. However, Meld's expression
 was not a good one.
「... For now, we speak in secret.」
「The detailed investigation was rejected?」
Yes, they were in the corner of the palace, trying not to attract
attention by moving in the middle of the night, because his
request to seriously investigate the matter was rejected by
King Elhid and was instead ordered to concentrate on building
up the military without minding extra matters.
Meld could not openly investigate, but he still held a sense of
crisis, so he did his best with his subordinate.
「The situation with the Devils has risen. His Majesty is also
troubled by what to do with indefinite information.」
「But His Majesty usually listens to your words...」
Meld stopped Jose's words with a glance. Certainly, though King
Elhid was a little forceful these days, but Meld still hesitated to
speak of any dissatisfaction.
「That's why we must collect information worthy of his judgment.
Jose, get everyone well versed in Dark Magic. We must search
for the true nature of this “vacancy” and create a counterplan.
Also, open the treasury. I don't know if there is an artifact
which can oppose mental attacks. Get management involved
in this.」
「Roger. And what about the students?」
「I will handle them... They are unstable for the time being. I
don't want to make them uneasy... No, that's not right. I'm
thoroughly unsuitable for being an educator.」
Meld sighed in self-ridicule, and Jose smiled instead.
「I'm certain your consideration is known by them.」
「I know my own heart, but not that of others. That's what
worries me most. How to use a sword, how to fight, those are
the things I am troubled by now.」
「Even so, by talking to you, they can relax.」
If it was a new knight, they joined the knighthood with resolution
from the start. The mental care for such a person would be to
train until they collapsed, spar with the sword, and drink
 alcohol. It was rough, but it was enough. But the students
were not resolved, and they were taken from their home; they
were simple students thrust into an impossible situation
where they might not return home if they did not fight; it was
poor in a number of ways.
That was why Meld was troubled with the mental care of these
weak children...
Seeing his leader groan in an unusual manner like a father
worried about how to raise his children, Jose could only smile
bitterly.
Eventually, the two made arrangements to share information and
separated before returning to the palace.
In a dim passage, Meld faced his room, paying close attention to
not be found by soldiers making their rounds. Because of his
rank, though he would not be questioned or criticized, he did
not want others to doubt him.
Wandering about the palace at night, those were the actions of a
suspicious person, causing Meld to smile in ridicule at himself.
However, he suddenly felt a shiver run through his body,
enough to crush his heart.
「Commander Meld---」
There was no one in the surroundings. He was always keeping
alert. However, his back was taken. His shoulder was tapped;
simply put, it was at a distance where his neck could be taken.
「Zea!!」
Because of the tension, even Meld was surprised. The moment
the person's hand touched his shoulder, his right moved to
thrust it away and grasp his sword. While drawing a silver line
in the darkness, he swept sideways.
「Hii!?」
But his blow was killed in an instant. It was an attack with all his
might, yet the other person's reaction was splendid.
Rather, the other person landed on his bottom. He had tears in his
eyes, too.
「... K, Kousuke?」
Koku koku koku koku, the person nodded with watery eyes. He
was the scout in the Nagayama Party, the man with the thin
shadow --- Endo Kousuke.
「C, Commander. D, did I do something to make you mad?」
Seeing Kouskue trembling, Meld finally realized the situation. He
put his sword aawy in a panic and helped Kousuke stand.
It was a well known fact that Kousuke's presence was thin. Even
when chatting with him, it was man's nature to forget his
existence. In 8th grade, the automatic doors which worked for
him 2 out of 3 times had dropped by half. He was a man with
an innate ability to cut his presence.
It was not strange if Meld did not notice him.
「N, no, sorry. Suddenly standing behind me, I just did it.」
「... Commander, when did you become GoOgo?」
“Just did it,” Kousuke thought as he pat his neck. Meld cleared his
throat.
「By the way, Kousuke, what are you doing here at a time like
this?」
「... I intended to take a break in my room after training today and
then fell asleep...」
Meld thought it was a nasty question seeing the tears appear in
Kousuke's eyes again.
「No one came to wake me up. Even when it was supper time.」
「I, I see.」
「I woke up after a long time and went to get food, and rushed to
eat. When I got there, the person said 『Eating again? Well,
once in a while is fine~』and gave me some old fish. Everyone
already ate.」
「I, I see.」
「Well, I'm the late one this time, but them needing to make
something again is bad, so I thought I'd skip the meal, but now
I can't get to sleep... I thought I'd go to the kitchen to see if
there was anything left to eat. Liek vegetables or scraps. But,」
「But?」
「My belly hurt after eating a bit... and then I fought on the toilet
 for about 2 hours at the restroom near the kitchen.」
「You, but it's the middle of the night now...」
「So, after I finished, I noticed something.」
「There's still more to this story!? What in the world happened in
the restroom!?」
「There was nothing. Toilet paper.」
「...」
He did not know how Kousuke obtained toilet paper; rather,
nothing about this was said. But considering the distance from
the restroom to this place, it must have been quite a battle.
「Kousuke... Get some rest.」
「Sure thing. Night, Commander.」
Falling asleep, missing a meal, eating leftover fish paste, getting a
stomach ache, sitting on the toilet for hours, wandering in the
middle of the night, then nearly having his neck cut off... Who
would have thought one could have such a severe life in the
palace.
Meld unconsciously saluted seeing Kousuke trudge off to his
room.
Meld's tension was slightly reduced as he returned to his room,
his hand off his sword as he sighed while leaning against the
wall. He fell onto the sofa, massaging his forehead.
After a short rest, his mind would work better.
「... A magic to drop morale. Thinking about it normally, this
would be the work of the Devils, but it should be something
done directly in the palace. Or maybe someone with superior
magic? Why lower class soldiers and knights? What is their
goal? Are they just trying to make our morale drop> What is
going on?」
Meld spoke his ideas one by one. It was in his nature to remain
vigilant against an enemy once he noticed, no matter what.
Though still far from his limit, he had too many possibilities to
think through. What shaved away at him most was that the
top brass of the company did not share his sense of crisis.
Inside his mind, there was an accumulating fatigue. It was like
black ink gradually soaking down a white canvas.
「... What would he do at this time?」
He recalled the figure of one boy who reunited with him and the
students after showing off an overwhelming miraculous power
having escaped from 【Orcus Great Labyrinth.】He was a
benefactor who saved Meld from the verge of death with a
legendary medicine.
Meld had an indescribable expression while he thought for a
while, then he slowly stood up and faced his desk.
He took out two letters. He put the pen in his hand and wrote
with a difficult expression.
These were preparations for an emergency. One was to be sent to
Zengen of 【Ankaji Dukedom.】The other was to be sent to
the boy. If it managed to pass on to him, there might be some
kind of miracle that happened.
Inside this room, where only the moonlight shined, the sound of a
pen scratching against paper could be heard.
When Meld finished writing the letters and was beginning to
review the contents, he heard someone unexpectedly knock
on the door to his room.
Meld took his sword leaning on the wall nearby and cautious
called out.
「Who is it?」
「... Um, Commander Meld. It's me. Hiyama.」
「Daisuke? What's going on, at a time like this?」
「Um... I... No matter what, I wanted to talk to you, Commander
Meld.」
Meld opened his door to this visitor who seemed exhausted and
at wit's end despite being somewhat doubtful.
Hiyama Daisuke had his head lowered, standing alone in front of
his room.
「A consultation is fine, but... at a time like this?」
「... Sorry, I don't mean to annoy you, but... I don't want my
classmates to hear th is.」
「I see... No, you're not a nuisance? Come in.」
As for Meld, he had an idea of what Hiyama wanted to talk about,
so he invited the boy in.
Hiyama's standing in class at this point was delicate. He had
involved his classmates in a large problem due to his
carelessness, and one of his classmates died. Because he
apologized to the point of prostrating, none of the students
wanted to touch on this event so much. They would not
include Hiyama, but they would not abandon him, either.
The atmosphere changed after finding out Hajime had survived as
well.
If he came to discuss his relationship with his companions, then
Meld could do nothing but respond in kind. That was what
Meld thought.
Because Hiyama was looking down, Meld could not understand
his expression. The atmosphere was dark, somewhat
dangerous. As if he was standing on the edge of a cliff.
When Meld recommended Hiyama sit on the sofa, he followed.
However, he did not simply speak. He ungrasped his hands and
shook them.
「... Daisuke. I have an idea of what you want to talk about. So
don't fluster about. Just say what it is you want. What is the
problem? What do you need to do? We can talk about it
together.」
Though Meld tried to comfort him like this, Hiyama did not
respond. Looking up, he seemed to not have calmed down at
all.
Were you this cornered, Meld thought as he began calling to
Hiyama again.
At that time, another knock sounded on his door. There are a lot
of guests tonight, he smiled bitterly.
He heard the voice of Jose who he had just separated from. There
was likely an urgent report.
It was extremely untimely. Hiyama was here. Depending on the
content, he could not hear it now.
As if understanding Meld's hesitation,
「... Commander Meld. It's fine. I'll wait in the hallway until your
conversation is done.」
「I see... Sorry Daisuke.」
Meld apologized. 「It's fine,」Hiyama said as he stood up quietly.
Meld carefully opened the door and sent Hiyama off. When he
opened the door, he saw Jose. However, he looked “vacant.”
Meld felt goosebumps. His instincts were screaming. At that
moment,
「!?」
Meld jumped while silently screaming. A sword passed right
before his eyes.
「Jose, what is the meaning of this!?」
Meld cried out angrily. However, only another attack was given to
him. Meld rolled to dodge the flowing sword movements and
grabbed his own weapon while Jose silently pursued him. The
clash of metal reverberated in the room.
「Shit, so it's brainwashing!?」
There was no energy in Jose's eyes. These were exactly the
symptoms of “vacancy.” He must have developed it after
separating from Meld; however, he immediately attacked. The
actions were far too different from the others, as if he had
some form of instruction. Meld trembled in anxiety realizing
the “vacancy” was a form of mental brainwashing.
Regardless, he could only disempower Jose now. Meld yelled
while wielding his sword.
「Forgive me for your injuries!」
Meld rushed at Jose. He parried an attack, leading to Jose's
posture crumbling. At that time, he hurled his body to hold the
man down.
But Jose moved unexpectedly. He had consistently aimed at Meld,
but his gaze moved when Meld rushed, right where Hiyama
was standing.
Seeing this unexpected movement, Meld's actions were delayed.
When he looked at Hiyama, he saw the boy had unexpectedly
 fallen on his butt.
He was a vanguard in the front and had a durable ability as well.
Losing his fighting spirit at this time was unexpected. Meld
quickly moved while clicking his tongue in his mind.
Unable to decelerate properly, his pivoting foot screamed, but he
ignored it, standing between Jose and Hiyama.
「Gu. This power,」
Again, metal clashing against metal sounded. Because his time
was limited, Meld could not regain his posture. Furthermore,
Jose's blows were heavy. It was impossible to ward off such
attacks so easily.
He was well aware of Jose's skill and physique. Rather than a
sword of strength, he used a sword of technique. He boasted
of a superior ability. However, his blows rivaled the destructive
power of Meld's own.
It was impossible to dodge. There was someone he must defend
behind him. His posture was bad. He could not demonstrate
his full strength. The only thing he could do was use magic to
push Jose back.
「Endure this, Vice-Commander!」
He apologized in advance for the injury, believing in the
toughness of his subordinate. Meld began forming a
cannonball of wind.
「Blow all away, Great wind --- “Wind---!?”」
His magic did not activate. It was because he stopped his chant
midway --- Meld had a dagger stuck in his side.
「Dai, suke?」
「Tch, even with this timing, you avoided a vital point.」
Hiyama was pushing the dagger into Meld, his bloodshot eyes
looking at him. Right, “bloodshot.”
「Daisuke, you!」
He did not understand. But he guessed. Hiyama was closely
related to the cause of the “vacancy” spreading about.
Perhaps moving on instinct, he had sensed that he would be in
grave danger if he did not move, leading to him dodging a
 mortal attack. Hiyama surely intended to kill Meld.
Hiyama pulled the dagger out with all his strength, ignoring
Meld's anger. Again, he wielded the knife.
「--- “Wind Mallet!”」
Though he was stabbed, Meld was not “interrupted” but
“delayed,” so he triggered his magic. It was right to fire it
below him. The floor felt the impact as a compressed
cannonball of wind hit it, the fragments hitting Meld, Jose, and
Hiyama. Naturally, it blew them away.
Blood spread as Meld was thrown to the floor. Normally, he would
faint in agony from this kind of attack, but he forced himself to
stand and rushed toward Hiyama who was on all fours.
Rather than Jose, he judged Hiyama, who was on the front l ines
in 【Orcus Great Labyrinth】was more dangerous.
But that would not work here. More “vacant” soldiers appeared
in front of him.
「Tch, this won't be easy.」
He used a single blow to block 3 soldiers and blow them back. He
then barely dodged the attack from Jose who had stood up
and attacked at his belly as he headed toward Hiyama.
Hiyama ran behind the soldiers and restrained Meld with wind
magic, using only its name, but he fell as he tripped over a
chair.
He was casting magic in irritation and had his thoughts disturbed.
As if waiting for this, Meld drew a circle in the air with his sword
tip. When he did this, Hiyama's dagger moved as if by magic.
「Haa!!」
「Ah!?」
The next moment, Meld avoided yet another of Jose's blows as he
thrust his shoulder toward Hiyama.
Hiyama was hit square in the stomach, screaming as he was
thrown back.
Two soldiers immediately attacked Meld from each side.
Meld rolled away, barely parrying Jose's blow, his body feeling the
impact, before he stood up and tried to regain his balance.
「Blow and scatter --- “Wind Wall.”」
At that time, a wind pressure formed to both defend and obstruct
enemy attacks.
Jose unexpectedly lost balance from this attack.
Meld blocked a sword from one soldier while driving his fist into
another. Even if their strength went up, their movements were
still coarse, and he could read them. That was why he was able
to swing his sword readily and even managed to catch the
enemy's jaw.
He hammered the hilt of his sword into another soldier's head,
causing him to collapse.
「Aren't you making the title of Vice-Commander cry?」
Jose was known for his technique, and now he was going fully
with strength. Meld gave candid advice now that he was
accustomed to the movements. He followed through with
Jose's movements after parrying an attack and tried to throw
him over his shoulder.
Jose flew t hrough the air.
「Sleep a bit.」
Meld's fist stuck into the pit of Jose's stomach. After trembling,
Jose's body collapsed. Meld thrust a backhand as he stood up.
The final soldier was blown away.
「That damn trash. To think you'd be able to read his movements
so fast, damn monster.」
Hiyama yelled as he stood up, coughing. Meld looked sadly at
Hiyama.
「That's quite a generous evaluation given the circumstances. But
our experience is different. That's what it means to be the
leader of the knights. Regardless, if you can't win in personal
combat, there's no way you'll win against Devils.」
--- So surrender.
His message was expressed silently, but it did not reach Hiyama.
His eyes were still bloodshot.
「What, you think you've won?」
Hiyama was abnormal, his gaze full of insanity. His eyes were
 stagnant, dark, causing Meld to take a deep breath. Meld
knew these eyes. They were the eyes of someone who could
not turn back.
「Daisuke, you---」
Though Meld opened his mouth to say something, he shut it
seeing something unbelievable happen.
As if they felt no pain, Jose and the soldiers stood up, their
expressions still “vacant.”
「It's useless. Hi, hihi. These guys won't stop, even if they die!!」
「What? This, what do you---」
Seeing Hiyama sneer, Meld tried asking, but before that, 2 knights
entered the room. There were more beyond the door as well,
and every one was “vacant.”
He could not disempower them, they were extremely strong, and
their brainwashing was at a level where it could not be
undone.
And then he noticed.
There was so much noise, so why was no one coming?
Meld understood. He was a rat caught in a bag. Perhaps the
sounds and vibrations were suppressed with a barrier. Perhaps
no one in the palace knew Meld was being attacked.
(They got me. So this happens because I was overconfident in the
palace's defenses.)
Indeed, this was the center of the Kingdom. He scolded himself
again and again, but it could not be helped; despite centuries
of warfare with the Devils, not once was the castle breached.
The reason it was broken through was one. Meld looked at
Hiyama. At the same time, he could not believe it easy to do
this with Hiyama's ability alone. He was sure there was a
cooperator or a wirepuller.
(I need to have the resolve then. I must survive to spread
information at all costs.)
The door to Meld's room was blocked, so he gradually retreated
into his room, but Jose and the other “vacants” slowly stood
up.
「Give it up and die, Meld.」
Hiyama's expression was distorted.
「No, I'll have to bear the shame and run.」
「Wha, bastard!」
Meld fiercely turned around and ran --- toward the window.
Parin, the window shattered as Meld jumped through it. His room
was on the 4th floor. Normally, he would experience a massive
injury.
「--- “Wind Wall!”」
Meld decelerated with the wind pressure and landed perfectly.
Hiyama would likely jump down afterward. Meld did not think he
would escape with just this.
But he would have the time to use Advance Magic. It would be an
attack magic which would create a large explosion.
He would then run to buy time. Meld's purpose would be
achieved then.
「Dye the world a brilliant red---」
He stopped his chant. No, he was stopped. There was no reason
in particular. There was not a single pereson in the garden
when Hiyama jumped down.
His magic was obstructed, no matter what he did.
Even then, he refused to move. His instincts told him so.
It was as if his eart was in someone's grasp. A cold sweat ran
down his face to hiw jaw. His body was stiff. He felt even his
heart beat was noisy.
As if he was a small animal in front of its predator, he understood
there was no path to survive.
「Whether it be the King or the Commander, you're far too naive.
I guess I can't leave it to someone like you. I guess I'll have to
help...」
A beautiful voice. But there was no emotion in the words.
Hearing the voice, Meld's body finally began moving. It was as if
he was a machine that had not been oiled. Meld looked
toward where the voice came from --- in the sky.
He saw a silhouette before the moonlight, surprised to see a pair
 of wings expanding from behind the shadow. They were silver,
unreal.
But he had no room to be impressed. He understood it with his
skin, his head, and his soul.
An overwhelming difference.
The silver light increased. It was as if the moon itself was shining.
However, the power was abominable, brutal.
He understood. He understood something frightening. He realized
it. Escape was impossible.
「... God.」
The strongest knight of the kingdom clung to the great existence
he believed in.
But,
「Yes. This is what my Master wishes for.」
The silver moon fell. But it was a light which would extinguish life.
The silver light painted over Meld's vision. It painted over Meld's
death.
The god he believed in apparently asked for it. His death. The
malice took h is subordinates, his friends, and it would likely
take something more important from now on.
And so, on the verge of death, to prolong his life even a little bit,
Meld---
(Please... I won't ask for much. That thing is your enemy. So---)
--- Beat the shit out of it without holding back.
The strongest knight in the kingdom, at the end of his life, prayed
not to the god he believed in but the monster who crawled out
from the depths of the abyss.

Soldiers with “vacant” eyes restored the broken floor and window
while a shadow sat at the desk, looking at the spectacle in
interest.
「Goodness me. As expected of the Commander, I guess I should
say? He's sharp. That was close.」
「? What do you mean?」
Behind the shadow, Hiyama spoke without hiding his poor mood.
「Nothing. By the way, how's your stomach? You seem quite a bit
stronger, right?」
Kusu, the shadow laughed unpleasantly. Hiyama also had an
expression as if he had chewed on an instinct. 「This much is
nothing,」he said.
The shadow seemed to ridicule him more and more, then it asked
curiously as the window frame was being replaced.
「And her?」
「Gone. Said we were naive at the end.」
「I see. Well, she did intervene. Perhaps I am blessed by God?
Fufu, what an ill-natured one he is.」
Hiyama trembled recalling the woman. Originally, he would have
needed to spend more time and be more careful, but her
existence made all problems easy to solve.
Why would she cooperate? To say they were God's hope was one
thing, but Hiiyama did not have the ability to judge whether or
not it was truth.
She was an existence he could not understand. The difference in
power was overwhelming.
Hiyama shook the fear away and began speaking about something
else.
「Anyway, the biggest hindrance is gone. Now, we just need to
stay calm so we aren't suspected by Yaegashi and them.」
「That's right. The King and Prime Minister are ours thanks to that
woman, and the church never had problems moving from the
start. With Meld out of the way, no one can stop me.」
The shadow's voice was filled with insanity. Hiyama backed away
hearing the malice.
Something in the shadow's hand was crushed. It was a letter. It
was a letter which Meld had written his anxieties toward the
boy.
「Well, let's move faster. Like a stone rolling down a hill. We will
face it to the end. We will move to the future I desire.」
The mouth arced like a crescent moon, and the eyes constricted.
In this room, where the master was no longer, laughter coated in
malice and hostility echoed.
In a room where only the moon produced light, a narrow grate
created a contrast of black and white.
It was a simple, plain room.
It was around 6 mats in size with a small desk, chair, bed, and a
toilet. It was obviously worse than a prison on Earth.
In this place, sitting on the bed in a corner was Hatayama Aiko,
her face buried between her knees.
It had been 3 days since Aiko was brought here.
Due to a bracelet artifact on her wrist, Aiko could not use magic.
She tried to escape at first.
She tried to open the steel door, but it was pointless with her
physical strength, and even if she drew a magic formation in
blood, she would only serve to severely injure herself.
There was also the chance of escaping when the nun with silver
hair came, but the difference in ability was obvious; she would
only be hurt and returned to the room.
Even after that, the room she was in was at the top of the temple;
she was in 【Shinzan,】and it was impossible for her to reach
the ground safely; members of the Saint Church were also
standing guard.
While worrying about her students' safety, Aiko could do nothing
and was simply dejected. Her already small frame was even
smaller on the bed.
「... I need to get to my students... but how...」
Aiko looked up while sighing; she recalled what the woman with
silver hair said to her as she was kidnapped.
Considering it would be an inconvenience to this woman if what
Hajime told her was passed along to Kouki and the class, it was
obvious who the woman's “master” was. They had taken an
interest in the student as well.
Aiko's mind was filled with unease.
She recalled the events at 【Lake Town Ul】where Hajime had
 repelled the demons and where one of her students lost his
life. Yet again, a student may... with those thoughts in mind,
Aiko became more anxious.
She thought about what she could do despite being confined to
the room.
If she looked back at things calmly, the Royal Palace felt too
unnatural and was covered with an odd sensation. In Aiko's
mind, she recalled how King Elhid and the leaders acted.
The woman with silver hair must have done something.
It was clear to see her “charm” was akin to brainwashing.
Even so, she did not sense this when talking to Shizuku or Liliana.
Though she was relieved by that, she was still anxious.
While praying for their safety, she recalled yet another concern.
They were the words “Eliminating the Irregular” she heard prior
to losing consciousness.
She recalled a certain student.
It was a person she owed her life to, the student who killed
Yukitoshi Shimizu. While holding an overwhelming strength, he
had seriously listened to and thought about her words.
And... she thought about the various things that happened, again
and again. About him being here, about him not being here,
but in the end, she continued to think about him.
Many things happened. Though she tried not to think about it,
the memory she sealed deep within her mind resurfaced and
her cheeks grew hot.
Though she shook her head to clear her mind, she began worrying
about Hajime's safety and carelessly muttered his name.
「...Nagumo-kun.」
「Oh? What is it, Sensei?」
「Howa!?」
Hearing an answer to her unconscious mumbling, she let out an
odd sound.
There should have been no one else in the room, so she looked
about, wondering 「Was it my imagination?」
However, she did not make a mistake, as she heard the voice
 again.
「Over here, Sensei.」
「Eh?」
Aiko became alert as she gazed at the narrow grate.
There, she saw Hajime peeping in from the other side.
「Eh? Eh? Nagumo-kun? Eh? This is the top floor, isn't it... eh?」
「Ah~ yeah, first of all, calm down. I'm almost done checking for
traps...」
Ignoring Aiko's confusion, Hajime confirmed whether or not there
were traps with his Evil Eye and began using “Transmute” to
create a hole large enough for a person to pass through. With
that, his invasion was complete.
Aiko had been confined to a room 100 meters above ground, yet
he entered as if he were walking on solid earth. That is, Hajime
simply opened a hole in the wall and walked in casually,
shocking Aiko.
Hajime smiled to her.
「What, is it really that surprising? Didn't you notice? I thought I
cut off all traces of my presence, but you noticed... I've lost
some confidence.」
「Eh? Noticed? Huh?」
「You called out my name. Didn't you sense me outside your
window?」
Obviously, Aiko would not have been able to feel Hajime's
presence without having “Physical Perception.”
She had simply muttered his name unconsciously, but she could
not say that and quickly changed the topic.
「Um, anyway, why are you here...」
「To help.」
「Eh, for me? Nagumo-kun? You came all this way to help me?」
Aiko began to blush, going Awa awa. Hajime carefully examined
her to make sure she had not been brainwashed. He frowned
and carefully looked at her with his Evil Eye, looking for signs
of manipulation.
As he walked up toward Aiko who sat on the bed, she began
 blushing, her heart racing.
The boy she was just thinking about came to help her after
hearing of her predicament. He was now beside her while she
was on the bed at night time and was looking at her with an
intense expression.
There's no problem, since we're student and teacher, right?
Though Aiko thought that, she was not confident she could say
it aloud, so she froze and could only return his gaze.
Hajime, not seeing anything with his Evil Eye, grasped her hand
and began removing the artifact sealing her magic.
「Hyau~」Aiko said having been suddenly grabbed. 「Stop! That's
not good! Nagumo-kun! We can't do this! I'm a teacher! 」she
was about to say.
「Isn't it inconvenient with your magic sealed? Or is there
something wrong with it? I didn't see any traps.」
「Eh? Ah, this thing...」
「... What else is there?」
「Ah, a ha ha ha... I'm sorry, it's nothing...」
Hajime looked at her suspiciously.
Aiko tried to deceive him with a fake smile and changed the topic,
asking how he knew she had been locked up.
「The Princess told us.」
「Princess? Princess Liliana did?」
「Yeah. She saw you being kidnapped and figured Amanogawa
was being monitored, so she decided to escape the Capital to
request our help.」
「Lily-san... then Nagumo-kun, you accepted her request.」
「Pretty much. I'm partly responsible for this, too... though you
may not have wanted to see me... well, please bear with it
until we return to everyone.」
After Hajime finished removing the artifact, he stood up.
Aiko had grasped the hand which had caused Shimizu's death.
Looking straight at the confused Hajime, she spoke her true
feelings.
「I would never want that. I'm really glad you came to help...
 Certainly, I can't forget what happened to Shimizu-kun, no, I
don't think I ever will forget... but I think I understand what
your intentions were when you pulled the trigger... I don't hold
a grudge against you, and I don't hate you, either.」
「... Sensei.」
Aiko smiled gently to the surprised Hajime.
「I couldn't say it properly at the time, so please... let me say it
now... Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry for making you pull
the trigger.」
「...」
Hajime smiled wryly because it seemed Yue was correct; still, it
was a fact that he caused Aiko pain, so he could not bring that
up.
「I only did what I wanted to do. I'll receive your gratitude, but
you have no need to apologize. Rather, we should go soon. The
Princess should have reached Amanogawa and the others
already. We'll join up with them and talk about what we'll do
from now on.」
「I understand... Nagumo-kun, please be careful. The Saint Church
sees you as a heretic, and the one that kidnapped me probably
sees you as...」
「I know. Either way, after I drop you off, I'll be taking care of
unfinished business. I'll probably end up fighting against the
Church... I'm already prepared for that, though.」
Hajime nodded with a strong will.
Aiko's cheeks grew hot again from his appearance. She wanted to
voice her concerns again.
But then, a sudden roar and the sound of something shattering
could be heard far away. The air had trembled.
Aiko's body stiffened as she looked at Hajime; he was staring
outward, concentrating on something in the distance.
At that time, Hajime received information from Yue and the
others on the ground.
「Tch, this timing... well, in a sense, it's convenient...」
After a while, Hajime glanced at Aiko. Though she did not know
 Hajime could communicate telepathically, she knew he had a
lot of artifacts, so she though he had learned something. She
wanted to know what was going on.
「Sensei, a surprise attack from the Devils. That sound was the
outer barrier covering the Kingdom shattering.」
「A surprise attack!? Then that means...」
「Yeah, right now, Hairihi Kingdom is being invaded. The others
told me through “Telepathy.” It seems they brought a large
army of demons. This is a surprise attack.」
Aiko became pale. 「That can't be,」she muttered as she shook
her head.
Normally, it would be impossible to not notice an invasion with
such a large amount of forces heading toward the Kingdom,
and the barrier was strong enough to ward away most attacks
and was surprisingly resilient against powerful blows. No one
would believe the two largest hurdles in invading the Kingdom
had been easily cleared.
「Sensei, we'll join up with everyone else. We'll talk about what to
do afterward.」
「Y, yes.」
Aiko froze from the tension. 「Uhya!」she screamed as Hajime
picked her up with his right hand. She wrapped her arms
around his neck from the sudden action.
At that moment --- Kaa!! A silver light poured in from outside.
「!?」
A light as bright as the moon poured into the room. Aiko's
instincts were on full alert.
However, Hajime was not shaken and jumped out through the
hole he made.
Aiko clung to him while screaming, but there was no time to
worry about her. Hajime had jumped out the moment he
grabbed her before the light completely eradicated the room.
Boba!!
The room did not roar as if it were crushed, it simply evaporated,
scattering into particles. It was made of a strong metal, but it
 was nothing more than fine sand now, blown away by the
night wind.
Hajime used “Air Walk” to stand in the air and opened his eyes
wide in surprise.
「... Could it be... decomposition?」
「Well answered, Irregular.」
An unexpected answer came in response to his short mutters. The
voice was like a bell, but it was cold, devoid of all emotion.
Hajime turned to the voice to see a woman with silver hair and
blue eyes glaring at him. She was the woman who kidnapped
Aiko.
Unlike Liliana's description, she was not wearing the nun's habit;
rather, she was completely clad in white armor and dress.
The dress was sleeveless and went down to her knees while her
arm, legs, and head were clad in armor, a metallic plate on
either side of her waist. She was a warrior, no matter how one
looked at it. She was exactly like a Valkyrie.
The silver-haired woman leaped through the air as if gravity had
no effect on her.
She rotated once in front of the moon, a pair of silver wings
expanding from her back.
Her wings were enshrouded in a silver light. Her silver hair drifted
with the wind, bringing about a mysterious beauty and charm
out of this world.
Despite her immense beauty, her eyes gave a cold impression, as
if frozen in ice.
It was not the coldness of hatred for another existence. It was the
coldness of a machine, the eyes of a doll.
The silver-haired woman looked down at Hajime and Aiko and
slowly spread her arms horizontally.
Her gauntlets shined for a moment, and, in the next instant, she
gripped a white longsword in each hand.
Each was nearly 2 meters in length and was also clad in the silver
light of magic. She, unaffected by its weight, called out to
Hajime without any emotion.
「I am Nointo. An “Apostle of God” who, for Master, shall remove
all unnecessary pieces.」
It was a declaration of war.
The woman, Nointo, in the truest sense, was “God's Apostle.” The
gods had finally decided to intervene directly, to remove him
from “God's game.”
Silver magic gushed out of her body as a huge pressure assaulted
Hajime and Aiko.
It was as if they were standing beneath a large waterfall.
Though Aiko tried to endure it desperately, she turned blue then
white, her body shaking uncontrollably.
When she nearly lost consciousness, a bright crimson magic
surrounded her. It shined even brighter to protect her,
completely blocking the pressure Nointo emitted.
Aiko looked to Hajime.
Without shaking even once, he took the pressure and bore his
teeth ferociously.
Just like Nointo had done, Hajime declared war on her.
「Kill me if you can, Puppet of God.」
With those words as a signal, at an altitude of 8000 meters in the
sky, above 【Shinzan,】“God's Apostle” and the “Monster”
borne of Hell clashed with one another.

Shortly before Nointo attacked Hajime, Yue, Shea, Kaori, and

Liliana advanced through the Royal Palace using hidden
passages. Their purpose was to take Liliana to Kouki and the
other classmates.
Originally, Yue and the girls were going to rescue Aiko at
【Shinzan】as well as search for the Great Labyrinth where
they could learn Age of Gods Magic since finding Kouki was a
relatively trivial task.
However, in order to ensure Aiko's safety, they needed to make
sure Kouki's group had not been brainwashed. They needed to
confirm their safety.
Also, 【Shinzan】was the head temple for the Saint Church. Even
if they rescued Aiko, they wanted to avoid causing an uproar.
So as not to be noticed, one person would be best to search
for where Aiko was confined, so Hajime went alone.
For that reason, Yue and the girls remained in the Capital upon
Kaori's insistence on helping Liliana. Regardless, it was hardly
any trouble.
Still, in case of emergencies, Tio remained on standby elsewhere
in the Kingdom. Someone needed to look at the overall
situation in the country.
Now, the girls were traveling through the Palace through hidden
passages, finally entering a guest room. The antique cabinet
they came out of was quietly returned to its natural spot
which hid the passageway as if nothing had happened.
「Everyone is likely sleeping in their own rooms... For now, we
should head to Shizuku's bedroom.」
Liliana lowered her voice in the darkness and headed to Shizuku's
room.
By not relying on Kouki, the Hero, she revealed her own
evaluations of everyone.
They nodded in agreement. Shea led the way due to having the
greatest ability to sense others.
Shizuku and the rest of the class were currently sleeping in high
class rooms in a separate wing. They advanced through the
corridors with silent steps using the moonlight to guide the.
After they advanced a while, it happened.
They heard a roar which sounded like a bombardment followed
by the sound of glass shattering.
The air trembled from the impact, and the windows rattled.
「Wa wa, what's going on!?」
「This... impossible!?」
Shea instinctively covered her ears up. Liliana turned pale and
rushed to the window.
The girls also approached the window to see what was going on.
What they saw was...
「Impossible... the Great Barrier... was broken?」
Liliana covered her mouth, her voice trembling.
It was as she said. In the night sky, the Great Barrier had broken,
particles of magic now scattering like dust.
Liliana could only watch in amazement. The next moment, a light
flashed and the sound was heard again.
Yet another thin film of light covering the Kingdom's Capital began
to waver.
「The second barrier as well... Why... is it so fragile? Soon...」
The Great Barrier Liliana spoke of was composed of three large
magic barriers which defended the Kingdom from foreign
invasion.
An artifact generated a barrier at three different points, and
power was regularly poured into the artifact to sustain the
barriers.
Its strength had been proven numerous times, as the Kingdom
had always defended against invasion from Devils for
centuries. It was one of the reasons the war was still at a
standstill.
The barrier of absolute protection was broken down in a single
instant, and the second barrier was close to breaking.
The further toward the center the barrier was, the more powerful
it was, but the second wall was about to burst at any moment.
It was just a matter of time before the last failed as well.
The Royal Palace was noisy as people noticed the incident. Lights
flickered on in many places.
「Could it be, an inside job? But... giving a hand... to enemy
forces? Just what is going on...」
It was Yue and the girls who answered Liliana who was too
absorbed in her thoughts.
『Can you hear me? Should I give you a briefing on the
situation?』
Their Telepathy Stones began shining as Tio's voice resounded in
their head; she was outside the Capital, and, from how she
was talking, they had a rough grasp of what was going on.
『Mm... Go on, Tio.』
『I understand. About 1 kilometer south of the Capital, there are
devils leading a large army of demons. The gray dragons from
before are there, and their breaths have destroyed the barrier.
I do not see the leader, though.』
「Impossible, an invasion? How did they manage to get so
close...」
Liliana frowned in doubt hearing Tio's report.
Yue and the others could imagine who it was.
It was the one who rode the white dragon --- Freid Bagua --- the
devil who used Space Magic from 【Guryuen Volcano.】
Even for Yue, it would be virtually impossible to open a “gate”
large enough for the army to pass through, but it would be
possible with some assistance.
Still, to warp from the south to the north of the continent without
attracting attention and to appear right under the noses of
those in the Capital, there was no other possible way.
Though the white dragon was attacking, he himself was unlikely
able to do much. Most likely, he was resting in the back and
giving orders.
Meanwhile, the sound of glass shattering could be heard again.
The second barrier was broken. Liliana, frustrated, urged them
to meet Kouki and the others. However, Yue shook her head.
「... We separate here. You go on.」
「Wh, what? What do you...」
Liliana frowned suspiciously and began saying they should meet
up with Kouki to plan their next action.
Yue opened the window, her eyes narrowed as she coldly spoke.
「... The white dragon and devil who hurt Hajime... I'll beat him
until he cries.」
Yue apparently carried a deep grudge from his surprise attack in
【Guryuen Volcano.】No one present could do anything due
to Yue's dangerous atmosphere.
「A, are you angry, Yue-san...」
「... Shea? Did you already forget?」
「Of course not. I'll beat him until he cries and apologizes.」
Shea responded in anger on reflex.
Compared to Yue, whose words matched her typical
expressionless face, what Shea said seemed more extreme
since she was always smiling brightly. She, too, could not
forget what happened.
「That's why, Kaori-san, Lily-san, Yue and I will leave here to
discipline the owner of that overgrown lizard.」
「... Mm, and anyone else who tries to stop us.」
Freid was fated to cross paths with the Blood Sucking Princess and
the Bug Rabbit.
Though it was a nightmare to have them as enemies, in a certain
sense, for the kingdom, they were the best possible means of
straightening out the situation.
That was why Liliana did not particularly ask to go along...
The night breeze and noise entered through the open window.
For a while, Kaori and Liliana stood silently, but they soon began
to advance as if nothing happened.
「... Nagumo-san... is quite loved.」
「Yes... very much so... they're strong enemies.」
「Kaori... do your best to survive, okay? I will always support
you.」
「Yeah. Thanks, Lily...」
Despite taking action which clearly had benefit for her country,
such a thought was not in the two's mind, so Liliana's eyes
naturally turned distant. 「My treatment sure became coarse
quickly... though I am a princess...」she muttered quietly.
Kaori secretly thought, 「I wonder if Lily would cry if I said I
wanted to go as well,」but she remained silent as the two
quickly headed to Kouki and the class.

The Capital fell into chaos due to the sudden attack which broke
the barrier and the appearance of devils.
As people began running out of their homes, what greeted them
 was the sight of the shattering Great Barrier. The patrolmen
could only shout, 「Don't leave your homes!」
Those with quick thinking pulled themselves together and
attempted to leave with the bare minimum while the majority
gathered at the Royal Palace to seek shelter, screaming.
Though late at night, with so much noise, it would not be odd for
a riot to form, especially since the Palace could find no way to
calm the confusion down.
Also, the Palace itself was the most confused, since everything
happened in a few seconds.
By the time they noticed their situation, it was as if a sword had
already been placed to their throats.
Though they tried to quickly assemble their army...
--- Pakyaa!!
They were too slow.
The final barrier was broken, and the demons created through the
Age of Gods Magic and the Devil soldiers surged in.
The final defenses was simply a wall made of stone enclosing the
Capital.
Though it boasted considerable strength... it was pointless to
think it would last a long time.
In order to crush the wall, devils gathered and cast Advance Rank
magic while demons used unique magic. There was a group of
cyclops beetles 4 meters in length which scraped against the
wall with their maces as well.
Elsewhere, boar demons 5 meters in length bashed against the
wall with an intense force while clad in wind to increase their
power.
Their might was like an earthquake with every impact.
There were also many gray dragons and black eagles flying
through the skies which completely ignored the wall and
invaded the Capital.
Though the soldiers stationed at the top fought back desperately,
they were poor in their ability to intercept the large
unexpected army. It was as if they were trying to stop a train
 rushing at them with an air soft rifle.
In a situation like this, Tio, who was standing on the large clock
tower watching the situation, had contacted Yue and Shea via
Telepathy.
「... Tio, have you found him?」
「Tio-san, where is that foolish man at?」
「... You two... no, well, though I guess I understand your feelings?
『It is more reliable with everyone gathered together! 』I
believe Princess Liliana said. She is quite pitiful... to be
discarded so easily.」
「... Don't mind.」
「It's a minor issue.」
Tio stared at Yue and Shea in amazement, though the two did not
mind it much. This, too, was due to Hajime's influence. They
were only interested in their opponent.
Yue and Shea both had their eyes wide open while looking for
Freid Bagua when their Telepathy Stones reacted. Hajime's
voice called to them.
『Hey, Tio! Come here immediately!』
『Nuo~! Master, what's wrong?』
Due to his unexpectedly strong tone, Tio was surprised.
『A dangerous one came out. I need you to take care of Sensei, or
I won't be able to go all out.』
『!? All right, I understand! I will head over there immediately!』
Tio recognized Hajime was fighting an opponent he needed to be
at full power for. In an instant, she used “Dragon Form” and
quickly dashed to them 8000 meters in the sky.
『... Hajime, be careful.』
『Hajime-san! Yue-san and I will finish off the demons and the
leaders down here, so don't worry!』
『Oh, oh? Aren't you guys with the Princess...! That was close!
Sorry, doesn't look like I can talk here! I don't know what you
plan on doing, but be careful!』
Though Hajime seemed suspicious about what Shea said, due to
the intense battle, he had cut the connection.
Yue and Shea, while Hajime was focused on protecting Aiko
against an enemy who would not let up, began thinking they
should help him.
「Yue-san, what will you do?」
「... Hajime should be fine. Tio will be there, too. We need to take
care of things down here. We can't let them use Age of Gods
Magic here, either.」
The reason Yue and Shea came to the battlefield, though it was
also for getting revenge for Hajime, was because she could not
let the other Age of Gods Magic user, Freid, move about
unchecked.
In the possibility that Freid knew where the Great Labyrinth
【Shinzan】was, like before at 【Guryuen Volcano,】he would
head there first and likely try to destroy the magic formation.
Since the demons and 【Guryuen Volcano】 seemed to gradually
restore itself, it would be possible everything would return
over time, but it was unknown how long that would be. For
that reason, Yue wanted to stop Freid at any costs.
Though revenge was 90% of the reason...
At that time, Yue and Shea noticed two eagle demons 3 to 4
meters in length eye Yue and Shea as they dove down from the
left and right.
Kueeeee!! The eagles shouted as they approached; Shea took out
Drücken from “Treasure Warehouse” and set it to shooting
more and, without hesitation, shot an explosive slug bullet.
Yue, as well, snapped her fingers and shot out countless wind
blades from her right hand.
One eagle had its head blown away by a shock wave while the
other was cut by the guillotine, sliced into pieces; their bodies
tragically fell on top of civilian houses.
At that time, the people inside became nervous from the sound.
After the two eagles were killed, every flying demon turned to
look at the two girls. More than one third of them had devils
riding theme.
They had been surveying the situation when they noticed two
 eagles had fallen. Knowing their enemy was from the Rabbit
Clan and a small girl, they snorted and began chanting magic.
Both Yue and Shea did not have any intention to guard the
Kingdom from the large army; however, they were after Freid
Bagua. Being targeted, they had no choice but to
counterattack.
She shouted,
「We aren't your enemies~ They attacked us, so we had no
choice~」
They simply laughed, unwilling to stop their attacks.
The devils thought the opponent worthless and only a few
remained to deal with the two girls. However, their death
throes were heard by their comrades who had just turned
around. Those who had begun to leave turned around and
were surprised by the site before them.
「Wh, what's that!?
What they saw was a dragon made of thunder, roaring as it
devoured their friends and demons, one after another.
Seeing this, the devils could only stare in blank surprise.
「H, help---」
One tried to desperately escape from the Thunder Dragon, his
hand stretched out as if asking for help... however, an
exploding slug filled with murderous intent exploded, killing
the gray dragon and its rider.
She had fired a bullet, scattering 4 others with the explosion.
Though they did not understand what had happened, they were
agitated by the death of their kin.
They pulled themselves together and aimed to pursue the
attackers.
Though the girls had crushed their companions in an instant, it
was an unexpected attack that made them forget their tension
as they had strained their eyes.
Even so, they saw Yue and Shea before them.
Rather than hiding from the group who had decided to pursue
them, they stood in the same place. Yue and Shea did not even
 bother looking at them. Just like before, they were looking for
something beyond the wall.
Their backs spoke louder than their words.
In short, the girls did not care.
The moment the devils understood that, their expressions went
stiff, distorted in anger and rage.
Yue and Shea had killed their comrades as if they were nothing
more than pebbles on the side of the road. As a warrior, or
perhaps due to their pride as Devils being trampled, heat ran
through their bodies and their blood boiled.
「Damn you!!」
「Die!!」
Consumed by anger, they acted naturally and got into position,
showing excellent teamwork. They boxed the girls in on all
sides and shot magic together. Such a sight would normally
cause one to despair.
Even so, Yue looked at them in amazement.
She then simply moved her finger like a thin baton.
「... You should instinctively realize the difference in ability.」
The moment she said these words, all magic was blocked by the
Thunder Dragon coiling around Yue and Shea like a cocoon.
The Thunder Dragon once again opened its jaw and, as if
committing suicide, many seemed to have jumped in.
As if expecting something like this, many began chanting magic
which excelled in penetration when another part of the
Thunder Dragon's defenses opened. Shea flew out with the
speed of a cannon ball.
「Tch! --- “Fire Bullet!”」
In an instant, the nearby devils knew she planned to stop their
chanting, so they quickly used a Begginer Rank Fire Magic
which took almost no time to cast at all.
However, Shea did not care and dodged the fire bullets using
small bursts of Drücken to change her path before swinging
Drücken sideways at three people who were chanting.
「Ryaaaaaa!」
With her shout, Drücken, with the aid of Gravity Magic, grew to 4
tons in weight at the moment of impact.
Her body, too was reinforced through body strengthening.
The three men had their torsos blown away as the demons they
rode had their spines crushed by the shock wave.
Shea, still in the air, reduced Drücken's weight, as well as her own,
to 5 kilograms and danced through the air like a feather.
She used bombardment mode once again and shot slug bullets at
the devils who attacked with Fire Magic.
「I'll blow you to the moon!」
Like she said, she blew the devil to the heavens, seemingly
straight to the moon itself.
Shea used “Air Step” which were imbued in her boots, running
through the air, ripples of her pale magic appearing in the sky.
The figure of the rabbit-eared girl tapping Drücken over her
shoulder was a frightening thing.
And a short distance away, the last of the devils was doing a
desperate suicide attack against Yue.
「Girl!! I'll kill you!!」
He was desperate to take her out, even if he died. However, Yue's
indifferent attitude was like a wet blanket to his burning rage.
「... 300 years too early, boy.」
He had planned to attack while the Thunder Dragon was dealing
with his comrades.
However, his lips distorted in terror as he thought Yue's words
meant the Thunder Dragon had returned. His head was
immediately cleaved by wind blades from below after that.
Yue began searching for Freid once again.
Shea landed next to her, Drücken in hand.
「They really think we're part of the Kingdom's fighting forces,
don't they?」
「... Doesn't matter. They can think what they want.」
「How boring... Well, it certainly does seem that way...」
The two bantered as they looked for Freid.
Perhaps he had already gone to the Great Labyrinth via Space
 Magic... they were uneasy about that, when suddenly,
「!? Yue-san!」
「Yeah!」
The moment Shea gave a warning, the two jumped away from the
clock tower.
Immediately afterward, an oval film appeared in the middle of the
air and a large aurora gushed forth.
It erased the upper part of the clock tower where the two had
been standing.
「As expected, you have some form of foresight. How
annoying...」
At that time, a man's voice resounded. The devil, Freid Bagua
riding a white dragon, appeared from the film.
His expression was filled with irritation as they had easily dodged
his surprise attack.
With his appearance through the “gate” came hundreds of devils
riding black eagles and gray dragons, completely surrounding
Yue and Shea.
At that time, a terrific impact could be heard as the outer wall
was finally breached. Demons and devils invaded the Capital,
one after another. Some rushed toward Yue and Shea.
They were intent on killing the two here once and for all.
「I can hardly believe you managed to survive that... As expected,
that boy's passion to survive... is far too dangerous. I suppose
we will kill his companions first.」
Freid's words contained hatred; however, Yue and Shea were
fearless. They replied at the same time.
Oddly enough, they used nearly the same words the boy they
loved, who was currently 8000 meters in the sky, would use.
「... If you want to kill us, then why not give it a try?」
「If you want to kill us, then give it a try!」
As if the words themselves were a signal, the demons and devils
shot their magic all at once.
Spears of fire, powerful enough to scorch the air, lasers of water,
cutting through space, blades of wind, filled with killing intent,
 storms of ice and snow, sands of petrification and venom,
whips of thunder flew at them.
And last but not least, an aurora tore through the air.
Forty devils above.
More than 100 demons in every direction.
Enemies in every direction.
They were assaulted by a storm of attacks.
Even so, Yue and Shea remained calm, showing no signs of
dodging.
Some of the devils thought, 「So they've given up...」While many
seemed to lose their momentum, only Freid raised his caution
because he had a terrible feeling rising from within.
「--- “Pierced World.”」
Yue activated her Age of Gods Magic.
Immediately afterward, two shining gates appeared before the
aurora. Freid looked at them suspiciously. With how the gates
were set up, even if the aurora was blocked, it would only
appear from the other gate and hit them directly.
However, that was only if he assumed a single pair of gates was
formed. Freid had based things on his own limitations.
For that reason, he could not see why Yue and Shea jumped
through a gate. It was not possible for him to immediately
notice that a gate had already appeared behind them.
「Shit--- avoid them!」
Yue and Shea disappeared through the gates. The moment the
aurora connected with one gate, Freid noticed his
misunderstanding and tried to warn his companions, but he
was too late.
Though Freid himself was able to evade in time, many of his
subordinates behind him were hit directly by the aurora,
slightly conscious that they were dying.
「Damn you, killing my subordinates... I did not expect you to be
able to open two at the same time... So I have still
underestimated you...」
Rage filled his eyes, though, at the same time, he was in awe of
Yue for being able to create both gates simultaneously in
combat.
Furthermore, there were no signs that she used a magic
formation or incantation. Though he confirmed their true
nature in his mind, it was most important now to search for
the two who had gone missing.
「Freid-sama! Over there!」
One of Freid's subordinates pointed to the outer wall. Yue and
Shea stood there.
It was difficult to fight with houses right beneath them. If Freid
truly hoped for a confrontation with them, it was unlikely he
would continue invading the Capital and would instead
approach them directly.
Of course, since this was an emergency situation, he may have
continued the invasion, but the sickle of the God of Death
would surely swing down when his back was turned.
Because Freid understood this, he could not turn away. Yue
stretched her right hand out and beckoned to him with her
 finger. Every devil went into a rage.
It was obvious the girl with the childish appearance was provoking
them, and the despicable rabbit girl who slaughtered their
comrades was also there...
It was impossible for them to ignore the provocation on their
pride as a superior race, even if the enemy was few in number.
「Little girl!」
「You beast, don't be so full of yourself!」
While shouting their abuse, the devils attacked all at once.
They sent the demons after the two who could ward off their fatal
magic. From below, many of the ground forces attacked as
well.
Shea, thanks to “Treasure Warehouse,” was able to fire off the
slug bullets one after another without end.
Whether in the sky or on the ground, Shea's powder blue magic
rippled outward, suddenly creating a shock wave which
scattered destruction everywhere.
What remained were broken corpses, crushed as if they had been
run over.
The white dragon and gray dragons all shot out their breath.
Each attack would be fatal to Shea, even with body strengthening
in effect.
However, Shea did not panic in the least.
「--- “Sever Calamity.”」
A swirling globe of black appeared before Shea.
Just like a black hole, it twisted the auroras approaching Shea and
devoured them.
「Kuu, you used this last time, too... Age of Gods Magic that I
know nothing of. Everyone, listen! I will take care of the caster!
You take out the rabbit! Separate them, do not allow them to
cooperate!」
「「「「「Understood!」」」」」
Shea served as vanguard. Yue, who was a distance away, was
breathing hard. The rear guard tried to separate the two so
they could defeat them both.
Shea quickly ran to Yue, but a devil riding an especially large black
eagle which was clad in a large tornado charged at her.
Shea, who was in the air, held Drücken as if she were going to
throw it. Due to the unexpected timing, the devil prepared
themselves for a suicide attack; she should not have been able
to respond in time.
She rotated in place using bursts from the Drücken and blew all
oncoming attacks away.
The man on the black eagle surrounded by a tornado tried
confronting her; as expected, she had no time to counter or
evade, so she used Drücken as a shield.
Meanwhile, she used one of Drücken's gimmicks to form a round
shield.
「Even if it's just you, I will kill you without fail!」
The man with short blond hair shouted as he gazed at Shea with
eyes filled with hatred, colliding with Drücken which was held
up high.
Shea was pushed further away from Yue, and, though she
increased her weight to withstand the attack, a black gate
appeared behind her. In that instant, Yue and Shea looked at
one another.
That suicide attack was meant to buy time for Freid to use Space
Magic.
『Yue-san! Sorry! We'll be separated!』
『Mm... no problem. I'll kill him here.』
Before being pushed into the gate, Yue stuck her thumb upward.
Shea smiled in response.
The devil, seeing her smile, had his face twist into a rage. Still,
they were now separated.
「That useless smile, how disgusting. We will tear you limb from
limb and drag you before your man!」
The first devil who passed through the gate was unlike the others.
Shea frowned, sensing he had some sort of personal grudge.
「... Have we met somewhere? I don't recall doing anything to be
looked at like that.」
「Do you remember the woman with red hair?」
Shea tilted her head, unsure why he began speaking about a
woman.
The man took this action as meaning she did not remember and
grit his teeth as he voiced his grudge.
「Damn you, she was the one you killed in 【Orcus Great
Labyrinth!】」
「... Ah! Her!」
「Bastard~」
It was clear Shea had forgotten about it until now, so the man,
enraged, shot out numerous blades of wind with short
incantations.
Shea avoided them as if they were nothing.
「Who was she to you? I still don't understand with just that
much.」
「Cattelya, the woman you murdered... she was my fiance!」
「! Ahh, I see... so that's why.」
Shea nodded in consent.
The man before her was the lover she had mentioned before she
died --- his name seemed to be Mikhail.
Though she did not understand how he found out, he knew
Hajime was the one that killed her, and he was burning with
the desire to get vengeance. He wanted to make Hajime feel
the same way; he planned to bring the corpses of both Shea
and Yue before him.
「How dare you, Cattelya... was wise, gentle, always thinking of
her country...」
Mikhail shouted his grudge with bloodshot eyes. Shea's usual
brightness was gone as she spoke light words with a cold tone.
「Like I would want to know anything about that.」
「Wh, what was that!?」
「Well, if she didn't want to die, then she could have just not
fought, right? In the first place, she challenged us. Hajime-san
even warned her. He said we wouldn't chase her if she ran
away. If someone important to you was killed, it's obvious
 you'd bear a grudge... even if you tell us what she was like...
we have no interest in it... Just like all the lives you've taken up
until now... there's no way you'd be interested in those,
either.」
「Sh, shut up! Shut up, shut up! You are Cattelya's enemy! I will
torment you until you go mad before I kill you!」
Mikhail yelled after losing his temper and created another
tornado, increasing the speed of the large black eagle which
plunged toward Shea. It seemed this was his forte rather than
a unique magic the black eagle held. Mikhail continued
chanting, creating numerous wind blades from the tornado to
stop Shea from escaping.
Shea wielded Drücken and knocked them down before decreasing
her weight and jumping on a disk to avoid the charge of the
eagle.
However, before she could dodge the attack, many black eagles
with devils on them had gathered. They were likely his
subordinates.
black eagles shout out needles of stone at her from the sky. She
shot out explosive slugs, each one creating a shock wave, to
knock down the needles.
After opening a path, she jumped on a nearby black eagle and
swung Drücken down without hesitation.
The devil there vanished into the darkness of the night as his
organs and bones were crushed.
Shea continued on with her momentum and crushed many of the
devils and black eagles that were separated from the rest.
「Kuu, don't engage in close combat! The sky is our domain!
Attack with magic and needles from a distance!」
Mikhail judged close combat an impossibility as he watched his
comrades be blown away like pin balls. He ordered all attacks
to be ranged. Again, Shea was forced to avoid the attacks by
jumping from disk to disk which she used as stepping stones.
Even so, when she got into range to attack, they took distance,
which irritated her.
「Ahh, you're all annoying! In that case, I'll get you all at once!」
The rabbit ears was annoyed! Shea's ears bristled as “Treasure
Warehouse” shined.
A red metallic ball appeared from space.
It was approximately 2 meters in diameter. A chain extended from
the ball which Shea attached to the tip of Drücken.
Using her leg, she kicked up the ball and swung it horizontally.
Gagin!! With a roar, the metallic ball flew out at an unbelievable
speed.
While panicking, the targeted devil tried to avoid it, but the ball
suddenly burst to the side and changed course. The man and
his Black Eagle were unable to respond and were hit with the
10 ton mass, dying immediately in the process.
Shea pulled back the chain with Drücken; as it returned, she fired
off slug bullets in rapid succession to keep anyone who
thought to attack in check or to simply kill them.
When the large metallic sphere returned, she once again
launched it at another target.
The Drücken's newest gimmick was, in short, a “kendama” with a
built-in system which allowed her to modify its weight as well
as shoot out shells to change its trajectory.
「Ryaaaa!」
Shea continued to play a bloody game of kendama in the night sky
of the Capital while shouting. When the ball was sent off, it
always killed its target and returned to her. It became a red
meteor with an irregular course, growing more red with the
blood of her enemies.
「Damn you and your odd techniques! Above! Attack from
outside her range!」
Mikhail bit his lip seeing his subordinates killed one after another
and shouted out for a barrage to be sent so as to buy him time
to cast his own magic.
Shea easily avoided the attacks, as if dancing weightlessly in the
air.
Immediately after she avoided the final attack, powerful ranged
 magic fell from above like a wall.
「Hmph, worthless!」
Shea held the center of Drücken above her head and rotated it,
pulling the metallic ball along with it.
She rotated it at high speeds, creating an improvised round shield
with a red border, blowing away the incoming attack with her
peerless force.
「You're mine!」
Mikhail, feeling she would be busy dealing with the attack,
charged at Shea.
The large black eagle shout numerous stone needles, accelerated
by Wind Magic, “Imperial Cannon.” The storm raised a howl as
it rushed toward Shea.
Shea went into free fall to quickly reduce her altitude, avoiding
the bombardment of wind.
Mikhail's lips twisted in joy as he shot out blades of wind, aiming
for the moment she landed.
However, Shea did not have an expression wrapped in despair like
he expected; rather, he saw a fist-sized ball appear from thin
air beneath Shea's feet which she kicked off.
「Shoot!」
She took out the ball from “Treasure Warehouse” and used her
leg strength to launch off it.
The metal ball, which she kicked, flew out at an overwhelming
velocity, aimed perfectly for the huge black eagle Mikhail rode.
He could hear the vivid sound of flesh being torn through.
「Kueeeee~!!!」
「Bastard!」
The black eagle screamed in pain and fell while spinning.
Mikhail, again, shot out Wind Magic which contained stone
needles in desperation as he fell.
Shea, finally past all the magic which came at her from above,
bounced away quickly to avoid the wind,.
Still, she could not completely avoid the needles of stone as they
pierced her arm and shoulder.
「We did it! She was struck by the needles!」
「It's over now!」
The needles themselves did not do much damage, but the devils
were still joyous Shea had been hit.
Shea looked at them suspiciously.
She received her answer immediately.
She began petrifying where the needles stuck to her. The huge
black eagle had a unique magic which granted its stone
needles the power of petrification. It was an unpleasant and
troublesome ability.
Normally, one would require a specific medicine or Recovery
Magic.
However, Shea was alone on the battlefield, so the devils thought
it had ended. If they attacked without giving her a chance to
recover, she would eventually become completely petrified.
However, their expressions, convinced of victory, changed into
one of confusion, then into despair.
Because...
「Hmm~ What a blunder. But it should be fine with this much!」
Shea pulled out the needles and threw them away, closing her
eyes to concentrate. In an instant, the petrification stopped
spreading, her flesh soon regaining its former color. Finally, the
needle wounds healed up. She returned to normal, as if
nothing had happened.
「Wh, why!?」
「What's going on!?」
She showed no signs of using Recovery Magic, nor did she use
medicine, but Shea easily cured the petrification and damage
with just a little concentration. The men grew fearful of this
unknown creature before them. They were trembling.
It was obvious how Shea healed herself. She used Reproduction
Magic.
Her aptitude was bad as usual, since she was only able to heal
wounds and abnormalities in her own body.
Essentially, it was like a weak version of Yue's “Automatic
 Regeneration.” She could even cure serious illnesses; however,
it was not automated, so she could not deal with anything
externally.
Still, wounds or simple fractures would heal with only a little bit
of concentration. If she spent time concentrating, she could
even recover from serious illnesses.
The devils were in despair.
Not only did she have overwhelming power, she also possessed a
powerful recovery ability. They could think of no means to
corner her. They looked at her the same way people looked at
Hajime.
In other words --- you monster!
「Now~ Here I come!」
Shea held Drücken and appeared before the eyes of a confused
devil, dealing him a deadly blow.
The remaining men panicked and cried out incomprehensibly as
they began a suicide attack.
Shea calmly brandished the kendama and shot exploding bullets
to quickly but surely reduce their numbers.
Finally, the last man of Mikhail's forces had become food for
Drücken; however, the moonlight was shut out as a shadow
covered the entire area.
Shea looked up; behind the dark clouds, Mikhail was falling from
the sky. The black eagle was also at its limits. A dive attack was
all they were capable of now.
「Countless thunder will rain from the skies, avoid it if you can!」
With his shout, thunderbolts poured down.
It was an intense storm of thunder.
Originally, this magic, a more powerful version of the Wind Magic,
“Thunder Mallet,” would cause a large thunderbolt to fall from
the skies, yet he had strengthened it, creating an area effect
magic.
This alone told of his skills with magic.
The lightning quickly overtook Mikhail and headed toward Shea.
So as to kill her for sure, Mikhail had the resolution to perform a
 suicide attack, stabbing her while thunder rained down around
him. He had used most of his power just to cast this magic;
however superhuman Shea may have been, she was not fast
enough to avoid the thunderbolts.
It was impossible to avoid an attack which traveled at 150
kilometers per second.
Mikhail had single-mindedly endured while watching his
comrades fall one after another, continuing his chant until all
the magic in his body was exhausted. He would kill her for
sure, this time. His will was clear.
However, Mikhail saw something unbelievable.
Unexpectedly, Shea had avoided the attack. No, to be more
precise, it was as if she knew exactly where the thunder would
not fall and moved to that area.
It was his miscalculation.
Shea had a skill which allowed her to avoid things even before
they became recognizable.
It was a derivation Sskill of “Premonition,” [+Divine Revelation.] It
allowed her to see up to 2 seconds into the future. Though it
was a downgraded version of her “Presumed Future,” it used
little magic power, so she could conveniently use it in rapid
succession. It was the fruit of Shea's constant efforts.
「What are you, what the hell are you!」
「... I'm just a girl with rabbit ears.」
He could not believe what he saw; Shea had avoided every attack
and easily fended off his own strike. She held the kendama and
waited for him to pass by.
The kendama circled around Mikhail, the chains coiling about his
body.
「Nuoo! Let go!」
「I will let you go, as you wish!」
Mikhail was flung toward the ground with the centrifugal force of
the metal ball accelerating him.
He set up a barrier of wind to escape instant death, but every
bone in his body was crushed as he lay on his back and
 coughed up blood.
Shea landed to his side.
She held Drücken over her shoulder and spoke to Mikhail who
was faintly conscious.
He turned his vacant eyes to her.
A smile of self-ridicule, perhaps due to watching his subordinates
die or perhaps due to his inability to avenge his love, appeared
on his face.
Seeing Shea look down at him, Mikhail realized it was the end.
In his heart, he apologized to his dear fiance and spoke his final
words.
「... Goho, You... goho... monster!」
「Fu fu, thank you very much!」
Mikhail's final retaliation only seemed to please Shea more.
Finally, the hammer came down on his head. Mikhail thought he
could search for Cattelya in the afterlife.
Shea's cheeks were loose after hearing Mikhail's final words.
「It seems I'm finally strong enough to be called a monster... Fu
fu, it seems I'm closer to the others now. Now then, time to go
to Yue-san...」
Shea looked toward where Yue was; they had been separated
quite a distance.
Even now, she wanted to give Freid a good hit, so she quickly ran
to join Yue.
The shining moon hid beneath the crowd of gray dragons.
There were more than one-hundred present, and, at the center of
it all, was a white dragon with Freid Bagua riding on its back.
「Do not think any less of us. It is a standard tactic to divide the
enemy in battle.」
Shea and Mikhail had just disappeared through the gate formed
by the Space Magic, “Pierced World.” Freid had ordered the
black eagles to pursue them; they had glared at Yue and talked
trash as they passed her by.
Though there was no sign of Wind Magic being used, the enemy
was floating in the sky. Even when the enemy spoke, Yue
simply looked expressionlessly at the proud devil. Rather than
looking at others as equals, they were looking down on her. He
was a pious believer of their god, and he was the type who
would not accept any other values or way of life.
As such, it would be impossible for him to have interest in a
woman from another race.
However, while Freid and the gray dragons were blocking the true
moon, the girl's beautiful face shined like the moon, charming
them. “It would be regrettable if a gem like this is killed,” he
thought.
With those thoughts, though he understood it was necessary to
kill Hajime, and though he held hatred because of his brethren
that were killed, he still spoke foolish words.
「How unfortunate... Woman, as a spell caster, I want your ability
to cast magic without incantations. Though this may be
reckless, how about it? Will you join me? We will not treat you
badly simply because you're a woman.」
Yue's reply was...
「... Hmm~ Come back after you're reborn, ugly man.」
It was an indescribably harsh response with sarcasm and ridicule.
As an aside, Freid would be evaluated as a good looking man by
ten out of ten people. Along with his vast powers, he was
extremely popular amongst devils. It was hard to say he was
ugly at all.
Even so, Yue had seen Freid's expression in 【Guryuen Volcano】
when he spoke of his god; it was a disgusting, sickening
expression.
To see a man like that invite her with a clear face, she could only
think him foolish. To begin with, she felt nothing for men other
than Hajime, so it was a pointless conversation from the start.
Freid's face twitched.
「So you have chosen to be a martyr? Or perhaps it is your loyalty
to this country? Discard your teachings, do not blindly follow
your faith, or do you plan on sacrificing your life for such
things? That is the height of folly. You will surely be purified by
“Alv-sama's” teachings---!?」
While Freid was talking about something unrelated, Yue simply
fired out blades of wind. She could no longer endure listening
to him.
Blood spread through the evening winds.
Freid managed to dodge, so Yue's attack only grazed his shoulder.
As expected of someone who conquered a Labyrinth. If it was
not for his reactions, he would likely have lost an arm.
Yue returned a calm gaze to Freid's anger. She made an
announcement to the foolish leader.
「... Your questions are unnecessary. The moment you hurt
Hajime, you were sentenced to die in agony.」
As if those words were a signal, an extremely cold ice and snow
storm blew about Yue.
It immediately became a huge tornado which climbed to the
heavens, connecting the sky and the ground. The temperature
quickly dropped and the gray dragons blocking the moon were
frozen.
She had used the Compound Magic of ice and wind, combining
the Supreme Rank Ice Magic “Frozen Prison” and the
Intermediate Rank Wind Magic “Storm Emperor” to create a
large tornado at freezing temperatures.
The gray dragons died without a single injury to their body as if
they were large mammoths frozen in an upcoming glacial
 epoch. They fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Red
crystals of blood bounced about the earth.
「So you did not hear me... I suppose there is no helping it. Shoot
her down!」
Freid had lost nearly twenty gray dragons in an instant and
ordered an attack with clenched teeth. The gray dragons shot
auroras from all directions.
Like a meteor shower, over one-hundred auroras lit up the night
sky.
From the impact of the countless auroras, the tornado of ice and
snow dispersed, as if melting.
The scattered ice and snow formed a spiral; what appeared at the
center was Yue, wounded from the powerful blast... no, she
remained unhurt, and she was accompanied by a swirling
black star which moved about her.
Without wasting a second, the auroras were shot again after
seeing the small target still remaining.
Still, the lights of death, which would normally eliminate
everything in their wake, were swallowed by the black star or
deflected outward to the horizon. None reached her.
Yue used Gravity Magic to increase her altitude as she was
exposed to the countless attacks.
There was no unrest in her expression. She used “Sever Calamity”
to swallow the attacks and “Heaven's Calamity” to move the
ball of supergravity; it was like a defending satellite orbiting to
protect the moon.
「Breaths are ineffective, attack her directly! Go!」
Freid changed strategy; the gray dragons did not lag for a moment
in following his orders.
While roaring, murderous intent could be seen in their gaze as
they moved to tear up the slender girl with their sharp claws
and teeth.
They intended to attack in waves, and Yue was immediately
buried in the crowd of gray dragons.
Yue showed no sign of worry as she calmly closed her eyes.
She concentrated; more convenient for the gray dragons, they
opened their powerful jaws and extended their claws.
The next moment, at a time where they thought it impossible to
escape death, Yue's eyes opened up.
Her thin lips called forth her words.
「--- “Thousand Judgments.”」
Their world shifted in unison.
Like a mirror which had cracked, countless lines formed in open
space, adjacent to a focal point.
The gray dragons which approached fell into the cracked space,
and, after freezing for a moment, fell to the ground, their
blood spraying as their bodies were cut by the broken space.
--- Space Magic, “Thousand Judgments.”
By shattering space and moving it, she could cut apart any object.
More than thirty gray dragons died by Yue's unseen magic, unable
to scream.
Freid trembled by her activation speed, scale of power, and
utilization of Space Magic far beyond what he could do.
「What a powerful ability... You must be one of those chosen by
God! If so, then it is understandable why you rejected my
proposal.」
Freid was sweating profusely while nodding in understanding. Yue
thought, 「This foolish man understands nothing, it's
sickening...」Anyone could understand how displeased she
was by her expression.
「... What a joke. When I fight, I fight for Hajime. Don't put me in
the same group as you.」
Freid, who held the gods in high esteem and loved and respected
them, became expressionless from her harsh words.
Such a phrase was taboo for him.
「Rejoice. I shall say nothing more. We shall kill you here, and I
will throw your corpse before that man. Perhaps he may react
if I step on it. That man will meet his end.」
「... Your mouth runs too much. Show it through your actions and
remain silent, ugly man.」
Many veins appeared on Freid as he was ridiculed.
Just as Yue said, he decided to show his resolve with his actions.
He had already seen her act at 【Guryuen Volcano.】
Freid issued instructions to a small bird demon on his shoulder.
Some of the demons which had invaded from outside the
Capital attacked Yue from the ground.
Yue, while protecting herself from the gray dragons' auroras with
her sphere or gravity, summoned a “Thunder Dragon.”
The golden Dragon appeared from the dark clouds and let loose a
cry filled with lightning. It approached beyond the auroras
which were restrained by “Sever Calamity” and wiped out the
ground troops.
As usual, the Thunder Dragon sucked everything into its mouth...
or so it should have happened, but it was stopped by a six
headed turtle demons more than 5 meters in length, Absod.
It opened its large mouth and began consuming the Dragon.
Yue had seen Absod before when the Devil woman named
Cattelya used one in 【Orcus Great Labyrinth.】
It was a demon whose unique magic was the ability to take in
magic into its body.
However, the Absod consuming the Thunder Dragon on the
ground was larger and was likely improved in some way.
Still, even if the Absod was swallowing its large body, slowly but
surely it was being lifted into the sky.
It had not gotten past its limitation of being able to swallow a
single type of magic. Even if it swallowed the Thunder Magic, it
could not swallow Gravity Magic.
The six headed Absod gradually floated in the sky, flailing about;
before its massive body was carried off by the Thunder
Dragon, another Absod began trying to swallow the Gravity
Magic.
Sure enough, the Thunder Dragon could not endure the two
strengthened Absods with their unique magic, “Magic
Storage,” and the Thunder Dragon was consumed.
Immediately after that, the compressed magic was launched at
Yue.
「... Annoying.」
Like an anti-aircraft homing missile launched from the ground, the
magic accurately attacked Yue.
She used the gravity ball to block the attack of the gray dragons
while evading the attack by “falling” from the sky.
「Fuu~ I see you use a strange Thunder Magic. However, as long
as the Absod is here, your magic will remain sealed.」
Freid smiled; however, Yue was not particularly worried and
simply observed the Absods.
After a short time, her eyes wandered in the sky while she
thought, then she began concentrating on them again.
「Trying to tear space again? I will not allow it!」
The white dragon and gray dragons increased the strength of
their attacks. A cat demon approached by kicking off the sky
and jumping into the ground.
Though Yue blocked the storm of auroras with the ball of
supergravity, most of her focus was on constructing another
magic; her movements were lacking in comparison.
The cat approached quickly, releasing numerous tentacles and
swiping its claws at Yue as it ignored the gravity ball. Even so,
Yue focused on her new magic and preventing the auroras
from hitting.
Between their offense and defense, countless wounds appeared
on Yue's body as her blood flew through the night sky;
however, the attacks were only shallow, so she did not have
much of a problem.
From the very start, Yue's true defense lay not in her barriers or
gravity balls but her “Automatic Regeneration.”
She would use barriers if she had companions to protect, or she
would evade attacks to keep her clothes from being torn due
to the annoyance; however, she originally ignored all attacks
and left everything to her regeneration. Yue's true fighting
style was a unilateral attack.
Freid was convinced of victory, seeing Yue's blood dance in the
air; however, he could only look in surprise as her wounds
regenerated automatically.
「Is that, too, Age of Gods Magic? How many have you
acquired!」
He was not completely wrong; still, he voiced out orders for the
demons to attack until they surpassed her recovery rate.
At that time, Freid also began chanting Age of Gods Magic.
Naturally, Yue, who was concentrating on her magic before,
opened her eyes, her lovely voice resounding through the air.
「--- “Five Divine Dragons.”」

Dark clouds appeared.

Thunder screamed.
Winds swirled into storms.
Water currents formed and were frozen.
Clouds of dust congregated.
Flames strong enough to burn the atmosphere gathered.
Five demonic dragons appeared in the night sky of the Capital.
Though they were all created from Gravity Magic, they all had
their own attribute.
The five dragons roared out loud enough to make the air tremble.
Seeing the group of dragons, the gray dragons cried out in fright,
realizing they were greatly outmatched.
Rather than murderous intent toward Yue, they were in fear; they
looked to their master, Freid, for help.
「... How can this be...」
Freid once again exposed disgraceful behavior as he saw magic
which was beyond common sense.
「... Trying to stop me with magic? Know your place.」
Arrogant words, like a king.
Her graceful fingers pointed downward.
The 5 heavenly dragons received a royal command and delivered
an unearthly damnation.
The Thunder Dragon charged at the Absod and was swallowed
first.
Though the Thunder Dragon was partially consumed, an Azure
Dragon followed after and melted the Absod with its intense
heat.
「Kuaaaaan!!」
The Absod cried out in pain as it was melted alive and its unique
magic was surpassed.
After the Thunder Dragon broke free, it aimed at another Absod
which had just swallowed the Storm Dragon. While releasing a
godly roar, it bit into the creature, turning it into ash.
Nearby, the Ice Dragon froze another Absod while the Stone
Dragon caused the surroundings to petrify.
The Storm Dragon, freed by the Thunder Dragon, began cutting
 down the surrounding demons.
Using the Five Divine Dragons was harsh; Yue panted, her
forehead drenched in sweat. After disposing of the Absods,
she targeted the gray dragons in the sky.
Freid had the gray dragons charge.
Yue called back the five dragons.
Yue, accompanied by the dragons was an incarnation of nature,
clashing with Freid and the gray dragons who were of no
challenge.
Freid finally realized, after coming so far, she was yet another
terrible monster he should avoid.
It was not just the boy who took heavy damage from his surprise
attack in 【Guryuen Volcano,】but the girl before his eyes.
Without a doubt, she was someone he needed to risk his life
fighting against.
He was ashamed for being so arrogant before the fight.
For that reason, Freid put all his energy into his next magic attack.
「--- Laws of the world tremble, The giant's hammer descends,
The Dragon Emperor cries, The army marches, None will meet
the world, Tremors gather, Bring about the screams, Oh sighing
God! Oh Grieving God! You, Crush and bring despair! “Divine
Shattering!”」
The surrounding space rumbled intensely, and a sound deeper
than a moaning belly could be heard, as if the world itself was
screaming.
「Mu!」Yue grew more cautious and thought through her magic
knowledge, immediately thinking of a defense. The blast range
of this magic would be too large to evade, and the average
defense would be broken in an instant.
She stopped the Five Divine Dragons and the gravity ball and
immediately constructed Space Magic. She had no room to
spare on other magic.
The moment Yue used her Space Magic, space shrunk for an
instant, causing a powerful explosion.
Space itself had exploded.
Without a doubt, it was a powerful attack, as even the gray
dragons and remaining ground troops were obliterated in an
instant. It gouged away the earth and blew away all clouds in
the area.
--- Space Magic, “Divine Shattering.”
It forcefully compressed space, causing an extremely powerful
impact as the compressed space was released.
「... Mm, as expected... of Age of Gods Magic.」
Still, Yue had survived despite being at the center of the impact.
Her clothes were torn, and blood dripped from her mouth; some
of her organs had likely been damaged. However, given the
impact, her wounds were light. Those, too, healed quickly.
Normally, the attack would wipe away everything away without a
trace...
Yue, however, had used the Space Magic, “Thousand Judgments”
before “Divine Shattering” had activated. She had used this
Space Magic which could bind and restore space.
It was a convenient magic which could be used for both defense
and restraint, though its magic consumption was enough to
drive one mad.
Since Yue utilized the magic in an instant, space was not
completely restored, so she took some damage. Still, her
wounds were restored with “Automatic Regeneration” and her
clothes were repaired with Reproduction Magic, so she was
flawless both inside and out.
In the center of this destruction, she could be seen bathing in the
moonlight as if nothing had happened; it was an amazing
combination of strength and divinity.
However, the one person who did not doubt her strength
assaulted Yue from her blind spot.
「I knew you would surpass it, you monster!」
Passing through a gate behind Yue, Freid rode on the white
dragon as it shot an aurora.
Though Yue dodged the aurora by “falling,” she could not dodge
its open jaw as they met. It tried to devour her arm in one go.
Bushu! Blood gushed from her wound. The white dragon was
unable to completely tear off her arm due to her movements.
Its fangs sunk into her soft skin as it began to shoot an aurora
at zero distance.
This attack was improvised, as Freid continued to fire his magic.
Once again, he was convinced of victory, looking at Yue in
delight.
However, an unspeakable chill ran down his spine and his delight
turned to fear as he saw Yue's expression.
On Yue's lips was a smile the shape of the crescent moon. Her
thin, pink lips stood out.
She was no longer divine like she was a moment ago. The
moonlight reflecting off her skin made her look like a devil.
Her deep ruby eyes shined brightly beneath the gaps of her
beautiful hair.
--- You touched me?
She quietly called out the name of the Age of Gods Magic.
「--- “Engraved Destruction.”」
The irreversible time, be broken.
She said nothing, but surely those words were transmitted to him.
Two screams were immediately heard afterward as the devilish
light poured over the earth.
「Guaaa!!」
「Kuraaaaan!!」
The white dragon writhed from the impact, tearing Yue's arm off
in the process; however, she showed no anxiety and simply
manipulated Gravity Magic to float into the sky.
In a moment, her missing arm returned.
She glared down at Freid and the white dragon who writhed in
agony as blood poured from their entire bodies.
「... How is it? They are the same wounds Hajime received. Does
it hurt?」
「Guuu! Damn you, this is...」
Yue appeared expressionless in the sky, as if shouldering the
moon; Freid grit his teeth in pain as he sharply gazed back at
 her.
Freid and the white dragon were in a severe state.
The white dragon had a hole chest that had burst open and was
bleeding from its entire body; it seemed like it would die at
any moment.
Freid was bleeding slowly from a large laceration on his chest; his
left arm was broken and lowered powerlessly. He coughed out
blood intensely, his internal organs damaged.
He also had large and small wounds all across his body.
All the wounds were the same as those Hajime had in 【Guryuen
Volcano.】
Reproduction Magic, “Engraved Destruction” --- it was a magic
that reproduced wounds an object received in the past.
Whether activated directly or indirectly, it could be used
within 3 meters of a target, and the wounds that could be
reproduced was proportional to the magic used.
Yue, if possible, wanted to corner Freid with this magic. This fight
was her personal revenge to the very end.
In 【Guryuen Volcano,】her lover had been greatly injured, and
anger took root in her heart, unable to escape until she
enacted her revenge. 「... The next time we meet, I'll beat him
up.」she promised herself.
When she obtained Reproduction Magic at 【Undersea Ruins
Merjinne,】she recalled the events in 【Guryuen Volcano】
and thought she would use “Engraved Destruction” on him.
Yue's yan whispered to her.
However, Yue was poor in close combat, so it would be pointless
to use, since she could not activate the magic before Freid and
his white dragon would escape at high speeds.
For that reason, she knew she would have to heavily damage
them before she could use it.
However... Freid had touched her purposely. She unintentionally
smiled. She could not stop before Hajime's enemy, her mind
screaming “Yan~ Yan~.”
「... As I am now... does this mean I was not chosen to be victor
 this day... I was not prepared...」
「... I would never let you.」
Freid understood it was checkmate as he grit his teeth. When Yue
was about to deal the finishing blow, waves of magic were
aimed at Yue.
「Freid-sama! Please, leave immediately!」
「We will buy you time!」
They were the ground troops which invaded the Capital. They had
determined Freid was in trouble and came to rescue him.
「Everyone! Kuu... Sorry!」
The devils came to the rescue, and, seeing Freid and the white
dragon covered in wounds, their gazes became filled with
hatred; they performed suicide attacks without a second
thought.
Naturally, there was no way they could kill Yue; however, they
were able to buy Freid enough time to open a gate.
Immediately before the spear of flames Yue threw could pierce
Freid and the white dragon, they had disappeared into the
gate.
「... Annoying.」
「You dare do that to Freid-sama!」Yue coldly looked down at the
devils who attacked repeatedly; she used the same Space
Magic Freid had used before, “Divine Shattering.”
Though Yue completely annihilated them, she was clearly
irritated.
Her pent-up anger remained.
While Yue took deep breaths to calm herself, an oddly bright voice
echoed through the battlefield.
「Yue-san~! Is that guy still alive? If he is, let me hit him once...
Uwaa, what happened here? Was this a natural disaster?」
Shea's rabbit ears waved about as she jumped about on floating
disks and observed the surroundings.
「... Fled.」
Shea understood roughly what happened from that phrase and
was surprised by Freid's unexpected tenacity. She smiled
 wryly.
While they waited for their magic power to replenish, they
exchanged information.
Suddenly, an explosion occurred in the corner of the Royal Palace
and a huge pillar of light poured down from the sky. A large
army of demons, tens of thousands in number, appeared
outside the walls and were completely obliterated.
They looked at one another.
「... Hajime.」
「Hajime-san.」
The two came to the same answer at the same time.
「... Should we go to the Palace for now?」
「... Mm.」
Shea and Yue concluded that the one who used such an attack
which lacked all common sense was none other than Hajime.
They smiled as they gazed at the huge crater where the
demons had vanished and headed to the Palace where Hajime
would be.
Silver wings fluttered beneath the moonlight.
However, they were not moving so as to fly; they shot out magic
bullets made of silver feathers leaking murderous intent.
The magic bullets of silver held a tremendous killing power and
were continuously fired, tearing through the sky 8000 meters
above ground. Countless flashes of light approached their
target.
What stood up against them was a weapon of steel which
released a bright crimson light. Every time the monster which
crushed all enemies let loose a roar, the silver feathers were
scattered and dispersed. Though the trajectory was well
calculated, it was all meaningless as they were all knocked
away in a single blow, causing a hole to be blown into the
barrage which was essentially a wall.
What this required was the courage to move forward; that was
how he carried out his perfect evasion.
「Hyaa~!」
A cute, out of place voice sounded as they gambled their lives.
Hatayama Aiko was unable to endure and screamed.
Hajime was using Metzelei to shoot down the barrage of silver
feathers that “God's Apostle,” Nointo, fired. Aiko was in
Hajime's right arm as he continued dodging at the last second.
This was her first dogfight in all her life.
「Sensei! Keep your mouth shut! You'll bleed if you bite
yourself!」
「Even if you tell me thaa!? I, I bit myself...」
Hajime's advice was in vain; Aiko immediately began tearing up;
no, she had tears in her eyes since the start of the aerial battle,
so it was not just because she had bitten herself.
Hajime also avoided using intense movements since Aiko did not
have a particularly high physical strength. Instead, he used
“Light Speed” to slow down his perception of time and
 accelerate his thought process, knocking away the oncoming
barrage and dodging with minimal movements; however, they
were still more intense than a roller coaster, so Aiko was
already feeling groggy.
Even so, he could not simply toss her away, either.
Nointo's merciless attack gave him no room to do that, and, if he
let her go, the attacks would be aimed for her. He could fight
with Aiko behind him, but it was better to move while holding
her.
The situation would not continue forever, either. A reliable
companion would be showing up soon.
Hajime used Schlag to shoot down the silver feathers surrounding
them from all directions while dodging and spoke to Aiko who
had clung to him, her eyes shut tight.
「Sensei, hold on for a bit longer. Someone is heading here. When
she gets here, she'll take you to the ground.」
「Oh, okay, but what about you?」
「Of course, I'm going to kill this arrogant person.」
「Uu~ Sorry for holding you back...」
She clenched her teeth, aware she was extra baggage. Hajime
held her closely and performed a somersault.
In the inverted world, she could see the silver bombardment pass
above Hajime's head. The flash of light erased the upper part
of the tower Aiko was captive in before.
She shrieked again; however, this was drowned by the sound of
the shock waves. She could hear his heartbeat; it was not
erratic at all. Aiko felt a strange sense of security.
Really, what am I thinking about in this situation, she told herself;
however, she clung onto him with more strength.
「Don't worry about it. I expected something unreasonable from
the start.」
「! Wha, you'd go that far... just for me...」
Of course, Hajime meant he would have problems confronting the
Saint Church to get Age of Gods Magic rather than helping
Aiko...
But Aiko was engrossed in the situation and misunderstood him.
In this situation, while being strongly embraced, she further
misunderstood his intentions. She really did need to wake up
quickly.
「... So you have room to talk, Irregular.」
「Nuooo!?」
Immediately after the exchange ended, a mechanical voice
echoed within striking distance.
At once, he used his artificial arm to fire from his elbow and used
the recoil to turn around. What he saw before him was a
longsword used to defend his attack and another swung
horizontally.
The swords were 2 meters in length and 30 centimeters in width,
and they were clad in a silver light.
Just being near them made one feel an overwhelming sense of
intimidation, and the ability they bore was merciless. The
silver light was the “decomposition” Nointo used, and it was
forbidden to even touch it.
However, even if he knew that, he could not do anything unusual
because of Aiko. Hajime immediately used Schlag to hit the
center of the sword and divert its path, allowing himself to fall
back and barely dodge.
The longsword passed by, grazing his bangs, causing him to break
out in a cold sweat.
He immediately used his artificial arm, Schlag, and “Strength of
Gold” to hold against the “decomposition,” but, inevitably, his
weapon and arm would take damage every time they came
into contact.
This time, Schlag's surface had been scraped down slightly. If this
happened repeatedly, it would quickly be destroyed.
Nointo did not stop and rotated, the moonlight reflecting off her
silver hair beautifully. She brought down her sword used to
block his bullets with an immense power and speed far
surpassing the common sense for a weapon that large.
Once again, Hajime shot out a shell from his artificial arm to fend
 off the sword and used its recoil to rotate. He pointed Schlag
at Nointo and pulled the trigger three times.
Three flashes of light appeared aimed at Nointo's heart and
abdomen.
Even so, Nointo's reaction speed was abnormal.
She held up her sword to protect her stomach when Hajime had
aimed his gun.
Hajime used cross bits to pursue Nointo who had been forced
back with the power of his rail gun.
The slug bullets gave out bright crimson ripples of light in the
night sky and created a powerful shock wave, though Nointo
negated them with her silver wings.
As Hajime had planned it, they had a short distance between
them.
「Ha wa, ha wa wa... What, how did...」
「... Sensei, I'm begging you. Please don't use such cute noises
when we're trying to kill each other. It'll ruin the mood.」
「C, cute... Nagumo-kun! What are you saying to your teacher...」
They were in an extremely high level battle where victory or
defeat could be settled in an instant, and Aiko's cute screams
could be heard every once in a while, cutting down Hajime's
tension. 「Aren't you too relaxed while being protected? 」he
said as he stared at her suspiciously. Aiko, too, had never
thought she would feel so secure while being embraced by
Hajime.
「... Even while holding extra baggage, it is difficult to overpower
you... as expected, you are too strong. You are not a suitable
piece for my Master.」
「Well isn't that great. I'm finally aggravating those damned
NEETs. Now I'm an unneeded nuisance and unqualified piece,
it's the greatest evaluation I could receive. Thanks.」
「... It is useless to try to make me angry. I have no such
emotions.」
「Ha? What are you saying? Those were obviously my true
thoughts.」
「...」
Nointo spread her wings and steeled her gaze as she held her
swords in a cross.
As she said, she had no emotions; the conversation was useless...
Then, in Hajime's eyes, anger swelled; his useless thoughts were
removed immediately.
No matter what, he would kill her.
What Nointo thought was a triviality.
Nointo's silver wings fluttered once again, scattering her silver
feathers; however, she did not fire them at Hajime. Rather,
they gathered around Nointo, overlapping one after another.
She formed a magic formation with them. It glowed silver as
Nointo gazed at Hajime.
And...
「“Billowing Conflagration.”」
A huge tsunami of fire scorched the skies.
She could use not just the magic bullets but magic with attributes.
Though she had never used such a magic until now, it was
because she judged the magic bullets would be enough.
In short, she was serious.
The huge wave of flames completely covered the skies above
their heads. Aiko immediately saw an illusion of the world
being engulfed in a raging inferno.
She looked up at Hajime; he was desperately searching for
something, sweat flowing down his cheeks.
He was searching for the magic core; if he could locate it with his
Evil Eye, he could make the entire magic disappear.
Of course, it would take a divine accuracy, but such a skill was
normal for him.
However, the magic Nointo used was a super wide-range magic
large enough to completely illuminate 【Shinzan,】making it
as bright as it was during the day. It was like searching for a
needle in the ocean.
And his time to think ended without mercy.
The tsunami of flames, now several hundreds of meters wide,
 swallowed Hajime and Aiko.
It was checkmate.
The two would burn without a trace.
However, Nointo did not look away from the center of the great
flames.
「... Will you surpass this as well?」
Immediately after Nointo muttered this, the attack abated. At the
center of the great flames, Hajime and Aiko were flawlessly
enclosed by four cross bits.
With the two at the center, the four cross bits created a
tetrahedron, connected to one another with wires. A bright
crimson film of light stretched between the wires.
「It's still experimental, but... it seems it worked well.」
「Th, this is...」
Hajime's relief was visible.
He had used Creation Magic to build the cross bits and
incorporated the wires. When four points were united, he
could form a square barrier. However, it was not a simple
barrier, it shut out space itself.
Theoretically, its defensive powers were guaranteed. Even so, the
concept had been unproven, so Hajime was uneasy.
Nointo looked at the barrier in amazement and saw Aiko, still
embraced, moving about restlessly. Once again, she created
another magic formation.
This time, however, she created more than twenty formations
while spreading her wings and shooting her feathers toward
Hajime.
It was an attack in waves.
Though the barrier might be powerful, it would be a problem for
those caged inside. Furthermore, Hajime was uncertain it
could with stand all of Nointo's attacks.
The main problem with this barrier was that Hajime could not
attack while enclosed because space itself was cut off. For this
reason, Hajime quickly released the barrier and placed
distance between them. He wanted to devote himself to
 evasion until Tio arrived.
Suddenly, a song could be heard throughout 【Shinzan.】
Hajime looked to where the singing came from while dodging the
feathers; he saw a gathering of priests, their hands crossed in
prayer as they sang.
The chorus of one-hundred priests was solemn, much like those
you would find on Earth.
Hajime immediately questioned what was going on when,
「...!? What is this? My body is...」
「Nagumo-kun!? Au~ Wh, what is this...」
Their bodies felt odd.
Strength left their bodies, and their magic was quickly depleted.
It was as if their energy was being sapped from their bodies.
Furthermore, particles of light clung to them, hindering their
movements.
「Kuu, a magic which causes an abnormal state... As expected of
the main temple. Their measures against enemies are
perfect.」
Hajime's guess was right on target.
Ishtar and the priests noticed that Nointo, “God’s True Apostle”,
was fighting and supported her with “Hymn of Supreme
Descent.”
It was a brutal magic which weakened and restrained the target; it
was an irregular magic which could only be sustained with
continuous singing by multiple people.
「Ishtar... He understands what his duties are. He is quite a good
piece.」
Ishtar looked at Nointo with an ecstatic expression, and Nointo
looked down at him with emotionless eyes.
Ishtar clearly wished to help Nointo; it was the peak of his
lifetime. Certainly, he was a convenient existence who moved
by God's will.
Ishtar and the priests aside, the magic invoked was definitely
troublesome.
Hajime gradually lost his powers; he managed with his massive
 magical reservoir while dodging Nointo's attacks.
Still, it was clear to see his reaction was slower. While he was in
such a state, Nointo's attacks did not let up at all.
Several magic formations formed about Nointo as lightning bolts
rushed at Hajime drawing irregular movements in the sky.
Hajime shot through the magic core of the lightning with Schlag,
dispersing the lightning bolts, but he could not get rid of the
electrified air and was still shocked.
He was stiff for but a moment.
But this was a fatal chance Nointo could use.
「!?」
Nointo moved at high speed and crossed her swords. Due to
Hajime's moment of stiffness, his reaction was delayed.
He managed to divert a blow away with Schlag, but the second
blade could not be evaded and it sunk into his shoulder.
「Guu!」
The attack was mere millimeters from his neck. A cold sweat ran
down his face as the scythe of the god of death passed him by.
While moaning in pain, he flipped around with a burst from his
artificial arm and used “Air Walk” to get out of Nointo's sword
range.
Naturally, her attacks would not give him the time, so he forced
the cross bits to self-destruct so he could gain some distance.
「Nagumo-kun!?」
「I'm fine, so shut up!」
Blood dripped down his shoulder and onto Aiko's cheeks. He had
used “Strength of Gold” to defend Aiko from the shock wave
created by the cross bits, so she did not get hit by the impact
much. She desperately maintained her consciousness and
called out toward Hajime anxiously.
Still, Hajime no longer had time to worry about her.
While he replied coldly, Nointo began shooting out her silver
feathers.
Hajime used “Strength of Gold,” “Wind Claw,” and Schlag to bring
them down.
His body was sluggish due to the particles of light, so he was
unable to avoid everything.
Seeing this, Nointo charged at him from the front... as she spread
her wings and released a light. The bright light blinded him.
Even so, Hajime's perception skills were first class. He
immediately felt Nointo behind him and rapidly fired Schlag
behind him.
He heard many explosions and turned around --- to see a bundle
of silver feathers there.
It was a decoy
「!?」
Hajime's spine went straight. His instincts screamed loudly.
He regretted turning around, so he could only aim behind him
and pull the trigger.
He fired bullets, and, luckily enough, they flew toward Nointo's
head, but she easily dodged them by ducking. One of her
swords cut down toward Hajime's back.
He steeled himself to the best of his abilities using the derivation
skill of “Strength of Gold,” “Focused Strengthening.”
Though Hajime's “Strength of Gold” rivaled Nointo's attack, the
wall was immediately torn apart and the swords cut through
Hajime's body.
「Gaa!!」
「Nagumo-kun!」
He felt a burning pain down his back. Aiko was clearly worried
hearing Hajime's groan.
He somersaulted using the force of the cut to take distance.
Nointo immediately followed him with her sword held high.
Hajime, his body sluggish, used “Strength of Gold” on the cross
bits to form another shield as he sent other cross bits to the
left and right of Nointo, firing their explosive bullets while they
moved.
Nointo used her silver wings to brush away the attacks and cut at
the cross bits shielding Hajime. Furthermore, she swung one
sword against another to pierce through the cross bits.
Hajime's eyes were wide open. Nointo was right before him. She
was clearly showing their difference.
“This is the end.”
Hajime's eyes showed no sign of giving up.
In order not to let Aiko die here, he had to think of other means.
If it came down to it, he would take the blow.
Regrettably, if he became too weak, he would need to use “Limit
Break” without waiting for Tio to arrive. He prepared himself
to sacrifice his left arm.
Hajime held up his artificial left arm against Nointo's sword. The
moment it was about to break,
「Gugaaaaa!!!」
Along with a dragon's roar, a black light approached from
beneath.
It was a scorching breath which eliminated all before it. The
violent black storm was aimed directly at Nointo.
Nointo's silver wings immediately surrounded her body in
defense.
Though the black breath was decomposed as it hit Nointo's wings,
the force pushed her away. Black and silver magic collided and
scattered in the air. Nointo was flung back into one of the
church towers. With the sound of the impact, the tower began
crumbling.
The priests led by Ishtar screamed. They were upset that the
Apostle of God had been blown away.
Hajime took out Orcan from “Treasure Warehouse,” and, without
looking, shot all twelve rockets at Ishtar.
This time, a different type of screaming could be heard. Then, a
voice drowned out their cries.
『Master, are you safe?』
Hajime's face loosened as he heard the voice, though he was still
on the lookout for Nointo.
The dragon he was waiting for had arrived.
「You saved me, Tio. It was dangerous just then.」
While happy hearing Hajime's words, Tio's expression became
 steep as she searched for the powerful enemy while flying
beside Hajime.
『Above all else, I am glad I made it on time. Please, punish... I
mean, reward me later.』
「... I'll think about it if you manage to protect Sensei.」
『Really!? Do not forget those words! Now, Sensei-dono, get on
my back.』
Hajime was surprised to see Tio still faithful to her desires in such
a situation (in retrospect, Yue, Shea, and Kaori were, too.)
Aiko, who he had held closely before, was placed on Tio's back.
Aiko felt an odd warmth from their conversation and obediently
held onto Tio's back since she would no longer be weighing
him down.
「Um, Tio-san, please take care of me.」
『Mm, leave it to me. After all, Sensei is important to Master (as a
teacher,) I will not allow the enemy to lay their hands on
you.』
Aiko further misunderstood the situation due to Tio's words and
anxiously looked at Hajime.
No matter how one looked at it, it was not an anxiety she held as
a teacher toward her student, she was a girl in love, though no
one else was present to comment.
At that time, the tower Nointo had been blown into disappeared,
her wings blowing the dust away. She was unhurt by Tio's
breath, her defenses had not been penetrated.
「... Tio, go.」
『Yes. However, I will come back after I help Sensei-dono. At the
very least, I will do something about the people of the
Church.』
While Hajime stared at Nointo with an intense blood lust, Tio
managed to guess why Hajime seemed so weak. She spoke
reliably while staring at Ishtar and his men.
Hearing those words, Hajime nodded and charged fiercely at
Nointo.
「Nagumo-kun! Be careful! Please...」
『... Hm? Hoo~... Well, well...』
Seeing Aiko posed in prayer, Tio guessed what was going through
her mind and grew interested.
『Sensei-dono, I understand you are worried about Master. I am
in a bit of a rush, so I will send you to the ground. I will then go
on and beat those old men over there. I cannot let Master be
hindered, after all.』
Aiko called Tio to a stop as they began turning around.
Tio glanced at Aiko on her back by bending her neck. Aiko looked
at her in determination.
「Tio-san, if you put me down on the ground now, wouldn't it take
a while to return? We're 8000 meters in the sky, so going back
and forth will take time...」
『Mu? Certainly, you are correct, but... Sensei-dono, could you be
thinking...』
「Yes. If you intend to fight for Nagumo-kun's sake, then please
allow me to help you. If you don't immediately do something
about Ishtar and the priests, Nagumo-kun will quickly grow
weaker. It would be a waste of time to send me back to the
ground.」
What Aiko said was true, but Tio was reluctant.
Though many people were injured by Hajime's attack with Orcan,
they were clearly preparing to sing once again, and they had
also constructed a barrier.
Tio wanted to blow them away, but she would break her promise
with Hajime if Aiko got hurt.
『It may be bad of me to say this, Sensei-dono, but what can you
do? You lack magic formations and battle experience, correct?
Can you fight against the priests and their knights?』
Tio's opinion was harsh, which caused Aiko to grit her teeth. She
closed her eyes and bit her finger, drawing a magic finger with
her blood on the back of her opposite hand.
「I may not look like it, but if you want to talk about magical
power, I am no different from Amanogawa-kun who is the
Hero. Though I don't have any battle experience... I will assist
 you properly! Honestly... I'm afraid to fight against other
people, but I have no other choice. In order to let everyone
survive and return to Japan, I, more than anyone else, can't
run away!」
The Kingdom had seemed to ignore the invasion, and the king had
become a fanatic like the priests.
Relying on God who planned everything from the very start was
no longer an option.
In order to survive in this world, they must all advance on their
own.
As a teacher, even if people hated her, she needed to do what
must be done.
Tio understood Aiko's determination, and, though hesitant,
permitted Aiko to tag along.
『No helping it if you have made your final decision. If it is by your
will, then Master will have no complaints. As you wish, we will
blow up these fools together!』
「Yes!」
Aiko's tension and fear caused her to come to a decision which
signaled the start of their battle. Tio quickly flew toward the
priests.
Their enemies were the hundreds of Priests and the Temple
Knights.
Tio and Aiko had teamed up to challenge the world's largest
religion.

Hajime charged from beneath Nointo and pulled out his

electromagnetically accelerating rifle --- Schlagen.
Bright crimson sparks gushed forth as the bullet was shot out at
speed containing a ferocious destructive power from a
monstrous weapon straight toward its target.
The bombardment of bullets specialized in penetration which
pierced even through Tio's breath, and, as expected, Nointo
decided to dodge rather than use the decomposition from her
 silver wings to deal with the attack.
She twisted her body as she fell and avoided the bright crimson
flash which went right above her head; she then rushed at
Hajime with a frightening speed.
However, he read through her attack.
Cross bits were arranged in Nointo's path, firing explosive slug
bullets at point blank range, making them impossible to evade.
「!?」
Nointo noticed the crimson ripples from the exploded bullets and
felt her wings would not be in time, so she used the swords in
her hands to intercept.
She swung at a godly speed and cut through the bullets.
She cut through and decomposed even the magic from the bullet,
causing smaller shock waves to appear on either side.
Though the power was weakened, Nointo was directly exposed to
the attack and froze for a moment.
Hajime quickly entered range with “Ground Contraction” and “Air
Walk” as he compressed power in his left arm.
He used the explosive shell and oscillatory gimmicks in his arm
while using his magic for “Impact Conversion” and “Strong
Arm.”
「Seyaa!!」
「!?」
Hajime yelled loudly.
Nointo immediately used her two swords as a shield. She barely
managed to make it in time, stopping Hajime's iron fist.
However, she could not suppress his power. Gaaan! Metal was
struck, releasing a deafening roar. Nointo was blown away by
the intense force.
Hajime did not let up and continued pursuit.
He had pulled Donner & Schlag out and was firing at full power.
Two explosions sounded, two crimson lights tore through the
night sky.
Once again, Nointo crossed her swords in a defensive stance as
twelve impacts approached.
「Kuu!」
For every attack that came from Donner & Schlag, only a single
sound was heard, and each attack had been performed with
pin point precision as every bullet landed in the same place.
The supposedly invincible apostle of god groaned, her beautiful
face distorted. At the same time, her sword trembled from the
impact and made an unpleasant noise.
Hajime himself was not sure if he should be amazed by the
durability of the swords which withstood twelve rail gun shots
as well as his full body attack.
Nointo was blown away again and buried after destroying some of
the church facilities.
Hajime took Orcan out of “Treasure Warehouse” and launched all
rockets as a follow up.
The rockets sparked and dealt a fatal blow to the building on the
verge of collapse.
The building collapsed with the explosions and was engulfed in
flames 3000 C in temperature.
While looking at the great flames which dyed the night sky red,
Hajime did not relax. He reloaded Orcan and, once again, took
aim at the mountain of rubble which burned brightly.
At that moment,
「From below.」
Hajime dodged and looked beneath him. On the ground, Nointo
flapped her silver wings and flew out of a small hole.
She saved herself from the assault by using magic to go through
the earth.
She shot many silver feathers like a machine gun as she released
her own bombardment of silver.
They exchanged blows while swaying about.
She crossed her swords and attacked through the small gaps
which Hajime warded off with his rail gun. Hajime then
launched rockets at Nointo.
Nointo, knowing Orcan's power by experience, quickly flew away
while releasing silver light to escape from the rockets and
 creating magic formations to launch attacks at Hajime.
Countless rockets were shot and explosive flames were raining
down from the night sky. Hajime put Orcan away and
immediately pulled out Donner & Schlag. He quickly shot
through the core of the magic heading at him while Nointo
similarly brought down all his rockets.
A small silence fell on the fierce aerial battle.
Nointo and Hajime faced one another.
「Hey, I've got something I want to ask. Will you listen for a bit?」
「... What is it?」
The devils invading the Capital was something that should have
been unknown to the church. Also, he was attacked without
being able to ask any questions, so they formed a momentary
truce when Nointo decided to listen. Since this was the perfect
time, Hajime continued talking.
「With what's going on down on the ground, won't the Kingdom
fall? Also, there's 【Shinzan.】Rather than waste your time
fighting me, shouldn't you be fighting the Devils?」
Hajime had a reasonable question; however, Nointo simply
snorted in derision as if it was foolish.
「If that is what happens, then that will be the conclusion of this
era.」
「Conclusion... Like I thought, Eht-sama only sees “Humans” as
another piece... something to waste time on... By chance, it
was the Humans that were chosen for them to play with this
time around? In that case, will Eht join the Devil's God? Or will
he become a subordinate?」
「... What of it?」
「No, I was just checking up on the credibility of those
“Liberators.” After all, to me, both sides are just suspicious
people.」
Nointo's eyebrow twitched hearing her master called a suspicious
person.
Still, Hajime did not worry and continued to talk with a smile.
「Hey, if I'm in the way, why not just send me back home? The
 Hero Party as well. If the Kingdom is going to be wiped out,
they wouldn't have much of a role at all, right?」
「Rejected, Irregular.」
「May I hear the reason?」
「Because this is what Master wishes for. Master desires your
death, Irregular. Eliminating all difficulties, obtaining immense
strength and powerful comrades... and completely ruining the
balance, Master desires your death. That is why you shall
suffer, lamenting your choices. Once you have tasted regret
and despair, Master will feel the greatest pleasure. As for the
Hero and his followers... they are involved in quite an
elaborate and interesting idea; Master is still quite interested
in them. While you still remain as a piece, dance around to
please my Master.」
Hajime was not worried at all and consented within his mind; he
shrugged his shoulder in response, as he heard what he
roughly expected after talking to Mildy Raisen.
In short, 「These guys are trash.」
However, the last words made him anxious.
「... An interesting idea?」
「It is not necessary for you to know. You will die very soon.」
The talks had ended, and Nointo immediately shot countless
silver feathers and her own magic.
Her power was on a completely different level from before. The
power of a single feather, roughly about the same as a rail gun
shot, as well as her magic attacks seemed to be near endless.
Every part of Nointo's body was clad in silver magic and
brought with it an overwhelming intimidation, It was similar to
the “Limit Break” Hajime and Kouki used.
「!」
While holding his breath and looking at the extreme wave of
attacks, Hajime grasped Metzelei in his right hand and
Schlagen in his left to fight back. Metzelei roared and shot out
twelve-thousand bullets per minute to negate the oncoming
attacks while he fired Schlagen in a straight line toward Nointo.
Even so, Nointo's movements while clad in the silver light were
incomparable to before.
The moment Schlagen's bright crimson bombardment pierced
through her, her entire body disappeared like a haze and
appeared several meters away.
Nointo's speed had left after images as her body continued to
remain blurred.
Hajime used “Foresight” and used his cross bits to fire explosive
bullets.
However, once again, they only shot through the after images.
Nointo completely disappeared and appeared behind Hajime.
Like a spinning top, she swung her swords down.
「Tch.」
Nointo's final movements far surpassed Hajime's perception with
“Light Speed” active; it was a complete surprise attack.
Though he barely managed to avoid a direct hit, Schlagen, which
he used as a shield, was cut in two. Its built in energy
discharged by accident, causing a huge explosion to erupt from
between them.
It momentarily delayed Nointo in her pursuit while buying Hajime
enough time to counter.
Hajime's body was clad in bright crimson magic; he had used
“Limit Break.”
As Nointo advanced, Hajime took a step forward, Metzelei no
longer in his hands; rather, he grasped Donner & Schlag.
They were approaching for close combat.
「Tsuaaa!!」
「Haaaa!!」
Immediately after Hajime dodged the half swung swords, they
came flying at his body again.
He used Schlag to repel one by shooting at its center and parrying
it with the tip of the barrel. Donner, in his right hand, was
aimed directly at Nointo's heart.
A crimson flash appeared, but Nointo rotated and swung her
sword with more power.
In order to oppose the decomposition, Hajime applied a heavy
concentration of “Focused Strengthening” from “Strength of
Gold” on Schlag. Rather than going against the full brunt of the
attack, he used Schlag to deflect the attack upward.
Meanwhile, the other sword was being swung horizontally. He
received its blade with the muzzle, still clad in “Focused
Strengthening” and fired. An explosion sounded and the
second sword flew away.
They were at zero distance and dodged and parried their
opponent's weapon, forgetting to breathe as their fierce
attacks continued.
「Ohhhhh!!!」
「Haaaaa!!!」
Hajime and Nointo began shouting.
With just a single misstep, death would be settled in the next
moment.
They had no time to pay attention to each others' attack, they
relied only on their experience and instinct as they swung
sword and fired gun, shaving their lives away bit by bit.
The silver sword left a trail of light through the dark night while
bright crimson lights flew in all directions.
Their storm of attacks was like a sun. In order to survive, they
both dodged attacks and increased their speed without
bounds.
Likewise, if they were slightly grazed, blood would fall
everywhere. Hajime had numerous shallow cuts on his body
while Nointo was dripping blood from where she was gouged
out.
Hajime and Nointo were on par in terms of ability.
This battle of offense and defense would go on for eternity at this
rate; however, Hajime was being cornered. No, to be accurate,
he would become cornered.
Hajime knew. None of Nointo's magic power had been consumed
since the start of the battle.
Needless to say, Hajime also had a time limit with “Limit Break.” It
 would eventually cancel itself forcefully and leave him in a
weakened state. Though Hajime's magical power was massive,
it was not limitless.
On the other hand, Nointo had an endless supply of power from
somewhere, which allowed her to continue fighting while
strengthened; she was virtually unrestricted.
Hajime's Evil Eye shined brightly, finding the magic core in
Nointo's heart.
At this rate, he would lose.
「I'll blow you away!」
With his shout, Hajime had the cross bits attack while he was still
within blast range.
「Have you gone mad!」
Nointo's inorganic eyes seemed surprised as she carried doubt
and questioned Hajime's sanity.
Dozens of exploding slug bullets were shot out from six cross bits;
immediately, ripples surrounded Hajime and Nointo.
Nointo wrapped her silver wings around her body while Hajime
used “Strength of Gold.”
Immediately after, a bright flower of crimson light bloomed in the
night sky. The immense shock wave blew away Hajime and
Nointo.
It pierced through “ Strength of Gold,” damaging Hajime's body
significantly. He was bleeding everywhere, covered in wounds.
Nointo did not escape free of harm, either, since she could not
wrap herself in time. She, too, was covered in wounds and
coughed blood. The impact had reached even her organs.
「... Were you aiming for a double suicide?」
「Haa, haa... Suicide with you? That's a harsh joke. Only say those
lines if you're my lover.」
Nointo was suspicious of his rash attack. Hajime replied with a
joke while breathing roughly. His words carried ridicule for
thinking he would want to be with her in their last moments.
Hajime then took out a new weapon from “Treasure Warehouse.”
He threw out objects which flew at high speeds.
They were soundless and easy to lose sight of. However, Nointo
hit them away as if they were nothing.
Kakin! Kakin! While spinning in the air, rings 15 centimeters in
diameter flew to the side. They were chakram.
「With this, have you run out of---!?」
Nointo had relaxed her guard against the primitive weapons.
Hajime shot with his rail guns in his left and right hands.
Immediately afterward, bright crimson flashes of light appeared
to Nointo's left and right as she faced Hajime. Her head would
be crushed by the assault.
Nointo could not finish talking due to the impossible situation and
immediately brought her swords to her sides to act as a shield.
All twelve bullets fired by Donner & Schlag exploded and made
with pin point accuracy.
His attacks came from completely different directions and pinned
Nointo in place.
The rings Hajime used had “Presence Interception” and “Wind
Claw” built into them with Creation Magic, making them a
stealthy weapon best used for assassination. Still, the artifacts
themselves had a special effect.
The hole in the rings had a gate function, similar to what allowed
him to kill the clione in 【Undersea Ruins Merjinne.】
If he shot a bullet into one ring, it would travel through space to
the other ring. Of course, he could control them just like the
cross bits.
Nointo protected her head with her swords. The bullets, as if
calculating Nointo's every movement, jumped through space,
leaving no gap in time as they reached their intended target.
The next moment,
--- Bakin!! Bakin!!
Nointo's swords broke down the middle.
「Wh, why, from just this much...!」
Even without any emotion in her voice, Nointo was clearly
surprised.
She herself had not noticed.
Ever since the beginning, Hajime had been aiming for a single
point on her weapons during their time in close combat.
Eventually, a crack appeared on the swords. Since they were
equal in ability, he was aiming to break her weapon.
Hajime did not miss this chance as he took a new artifact from
“Treasure Warehouse.” He threw it continuously.
He allowed Nointo no time to dodge the ten artifacts thrown at
her at high speeds. She tried to fend them off with her broken
swords.
However, that was a bad move against this artifact. What he
threw out were ores with wires attached.
It was a restraining device, a bola, which was commonly used as a
throwing weapon.
Usually, centrifugal force would cause the bola to rotate after
hitting its target; however, the artifact had built in Induction
Stones, so he could easily achieve the appropriate control once
the weapon was thrown. Naturally, he had not created such a
simple weapon.
「! This is, I cannot move!」
The handles of Nointo's swords, her arms, waist, and feet,
everything was bound by the bola. The spherical stones
produced a ripple as they floated through t he air. He had used
Creation Magic to add in Space Magic to them. They were now
fixed into space, binding the captured object in place.
Nointo had the decomposition ability, so he had fewer than 10
seconds before she broke free, and it was impossible to bind
her wings because they were made of magic, so she could just
recreate them. As things stood, her wings could easily remove
her restraints.
But Hajime used that short time.
He would deal a one hit kill .
He would deal the strongest blow he possibly could.
Hajime pulled out a large cylindrical weapon from, 2 meters long,
from “Treasure Warehouse.”
Kiiiiii!! the pile bunker sounded as crimson thunder appeared
 from its body. He charged straight at Nointo.
「Kuu!」
Nointo wrapped her body in her wings like a cocoon, the light of
decomposition as bright as the moon.
Hajime slammed the pile bunker directly into her, creating a
powerful shock wave.
Immediately after that, a newly added anchor activated as four
arms appeared, fixing the pile bunker into space as it opposed
the decomposition. The bright crimson sparks rampaged
intensely.
「Endure it if you can.」
Hajime smiled fearlessly as he gazed at her with murderous
intent.
The bright crimson light of “Limit Break” shined brighter than the
silver moon, dying it red.
An invisible impact surged from the pile bunker, shaking space.
It was a simplified version of the Space Magic, “Divine Shattering.”
It shot viciously toward the target--- The target was drastically
weakened.
With Gravity Magic applied at the final moment of impact, the
stake suddenly increased in weight to 20 tons.
The atmosphere trembled.
At zero distance, with an explosive charge that used “Magic
Compression” and “Impact Conversion,” the stake of
Azanthium drilled down at godly speeds to destroy its prey.
The jet black stake released bright sparks as it easily pierced
through the two silver wings, penetrating through Nointo's
heart and continuing straight through her body, tearing off a
wing from its root.
Just like a meteor, it flew into the distance while emitting a
crimson trail.
「---」
「...」
What remained was Nointo's figure with a hole where her magic
supply was. Blood did not spill out, the wound charred by
 “Lightning Clad.” She was now just an inhuman doll. Her eyes
were as cold and mechanical as ever as her silver wings spread
through the air.
The body was still; Hajime had some mixed feelings about the
end...
While looking into Nointo's eyes which quickly lost their light, he
watched as her body fell onto a remote peak near the church
buildings. On the surface of the dark mountain, Nointo's silver
glow shined brightly.
When Hajime approached her side, he pulled out Donner and
aimed at her head. Though his Evil Eye and perception skills
showed Nointo was gone, he felt uneasy without shooting a
bullet into her head. It had become a nasty habit of his.
At the moment when Hajime was about to pull the trigger,
Zudoooooooooo!!!!!
A huge explosion roared and caused 【Shinzan】to tremble.
What he saw when he looked back was... the cathedral collapsing
as a huge mushroom cloud formed.
「... No way.」
Hajime's unintentional murmur echoed loudly in the
surroundings.
He watched the mushroom cloud scorch the night sky. He recalled
a scene from a documentary he watched long ago, when,
suddenly, he was called to via Telepathy.
『M, Master... how are things on your side?』
『Oh? Ohh, Tio. Things just ended here...』
『Hmm, good. As expected of Master. We have just finished up
here, could you join up with us?』
『No, something amazing just...』
『... We already know the case. Rather, it was our fault...』
『... What was that?』
『For the time being, can you join us?』
『Haa, fine.』
Apparently the cause of the explosion was known. Hajime quickly
moved to meet up with Tio, his cheeks cramped up.
While going up into the sky, Tio's black dragon form was quickly
seen in the distance.
In Hajime's eyes, Aiko could be seen riding on Tio's back, going
「A wa wa wa」as she panicked and reflected on her actions.
The question was why Aiko was there in the first place; judging
by her personality, she likely begged Tio to stay and
cooperated instead of running so she could help Hajime.
Rather, Aiko was now looking as if she were saying 「I've done it
now.」
「... Sensei, Tio, you two seem well.」
「N, Nagumo-kun! Thank goodness you're safe... really...」
『Master. For a moment there, I thought you were dead, but it
looks like you're still alive. Really, as expected of Sensei-dono. I
did not expect my breath to completely eradicate the entire
church. It was brilliant.』
Hajime could only blink. 「This can't be,」his expression said as
he turned to Aiko.
「... Sensei, what did you do?」
「A wa wa wa wa wa, th, thash not it! I didn't mean to do this!
The barrier was strong... I thought we could strengthen Tio-
san's breath to break the barrier, but...」
Though Aiko sighed in relief upon seeing Hajime, she panicked
when he began asking her questions. It was the standard
reaction when asking Aiko questions when she was in a panic.
Aiko was determined to fight to stop Ishtar and the priests whose
magic weakened Hajime.
However, even if Aiko had a high aptitude for magic, she did not
have a proper magic formation and was unable to release
strong attacks. Furthermore, the cathedral itself was an
artifact which created a powerful barrier. Behind that, even
Tio's breath would be unable to reach them.
At that rate, Ishtar would use his magic from a safe zone. She
thought about how she could surpass the barrier as they
dodged the temple knights. What Aiko came up with was... to
take advantage of her own skills.
As an aside, her Status Plate was as follows.
=====================================================
Hatayama Aiko 25 Years Female Level: 56
Class: Cultivator
STR: 190
VIT: 380
RES: 190
AGI: 310
MAG: 820
MDEF: 280
Skill: Soil Management ・Soil Recovery [+Automatic
Recovery] ・Ranged Cultivation [+Range Expansion] [+Foreign
Body Conversion]・Growth Promotion ・Breed Improvement
・Plant Judgment ・Fertilizer Generation ・Coexistence
Promotion ・Automatic Harvesting ・Fermentation Control
[+Rapid Fermentation] [+Ranged Fermentation] [+Remote
Fermentation] ・Ranged Temperature Adjustment
[+Optimization] [+Sacred Boundary] ・Farm Boundary ・
Fertile Grounds ・Language Comprehension
=====================================================

She used “Fermentation Control.”

There were many people living around 【Shinzan,】so there were
many things that could be fermented.
With that in mind, she tried to create methane like on Earth.
To be exact, she was replicating the process with other world
substances, but there was no change that what she created
was a flammable gas.
She single-mindedly spread it about the church. It was not a
magic attack, so the barrier did not react to it, and it collected
inside and outside the barrier. In order to keep it restricted, Tio
manipulated the wind to blow the gas to a fixed location.
With so much flammable gas gathered, Tio's breath would be able
to destroy the barrier. When she released her breath...
「It became like this.」
「Yes. We blew them away quite grandly. It has been quite some
time since I last felt death. Far from destroying the barrier, the
church itself erupted... I never imagined such an attack
throughout my life. As expected of Sensei-dono. I am
impressed.』
「No! It wasn't like that! I didn't think it would explode that much!
I just thought I shouldn't do it half-heartedly! Haa!? The
church!? What became of them!?」
Aiko made excuses while flailing about, tears in her eyes. She
gazed over the ruins. Hajime and Tio also looked down.
「... Well, they were likely blown away.」
「They placed too much faith in their barrier, and it was a surprise
attack. I doubt anyone is alive.」
「Ah, ahh... no way... I prepared myself for this, but...」

Now an accomplice, Aiko turned pale as she was the reason

everyone had died. Though she prepared herself for battle,
she could not remain composed with the results being pointed
out before her.
She vomited on the spot. Hajime scratched his head and
approached, holding her hand without minding the vomit. She
required warmth.
Aiko felt his warmth. She forgot everything, whether they were
teacher or student, and jumped into his chest, clinging tightly
while sobbing.
「... My back... No, well, this is fine...」
Tio sadly voiced her thoughts while looking at her back. She
immediately used Reproduction Magic to restore her scales.
Tio also wanted to give Aiko some time to recover. She was the
one to attack, so Aiko did not have to feel more responsible
than necessary, but now was not the time to explain it.
Instead, she had used Reproduction Magic to slightly heal her
worn-out soul.
Aiko's energy returned and she looked up from Hajime's chest.
She was covered in snot, tears, and vomit, but Hajime did not
 particularly care and simply took out a towel and water from
“Treasure Warehouse” to clean her up.
Though Aiko was upset at having shown such disgraceful behavior,
she remained as she was.
「Calmed down yet, Sensei?」
「Y, yes, I'm fine now. Nagumo-kun...」
Aiko pulled herself back together, her face red in shame. His voice
caused her to grow in temperature. She looked up at him with
moist eyes. No matter how one looked at it, this was not only
embarrassment; rather, there were clearly special emotions
there.
Hajime only saw Aiko as a teacher and not as a “woman,”
however, as expected, seeing this expression, he thought,
「Eh? Isn't this a bit off? Could it be that? 」His cheeks became
cramped as he read Aiko's feelings.
It was dangerous in a number of ways. Hajime immediately
looked away while Tio voiced her caution.
「Master. I sense someone. He is not ordinary...」
「What?」
Hajime was surprised anyone could survive that explosion and
followed Tio's gaze. Sure enough, there was a bald headed
man with white vestments descending. Hajime stared directly
at him. As Tio said, he was definitely not normal. His body was
transparent and he swayed about.
Perhaps guessing he had been seen, the man turned about and
began moving as if gravity did not exist, sliding to the other
side of the mountain rubble.
He glanced at the three before disappearing.
「... Is he telling us to follow?」
「Most likely. What should we do, Master?」
「... Right, I'd like to quickly meet up with Yue and Shea, but... we
came here looking for Age of Gods Magic. It's possible this is
related to that. We can't miss any clues.」
「Hmm, right. Then we should chase after him.」
Tio nodded and flapped her wings to land. After unloading Hajime
 and Aiko, she reverted to her Human form.
Noticing the dirt on her back, she took out clothes from “Treasure
Warehouse.” Hajime, too, did the same and quickly changed.
「Auu~ S, sorry... I've made you dirty.」
Aiko, the cause, apologized and shrunk in embarrassment. As a
woman, it was unbearably embarrassing to have vomited on
someone else.
Of course, Hajime and Tio knew it was unavoidable, but they
could not simply tell her not to mind. Regardless, Aiko had
accepted her feelings and decided not to voice them aloud.
Regardless, it would be a problem if she stayed curled up forever,
so Hajime quickly changed the topic.
「Sensei, sorry for making you tag along. I don't know what will
happen... but we need to figure out who that bald guy was.」
「Y, yes, I understand... I'll go with you...」
Hajime thought there was a strange power and heat in her final
words, but he ignored them and stepped in the place where
the bald man had disappeared.
They saw the bald man once again as they advanced through the
ruins. After 5 minutes of walking, they finally reached their
destination. The bald man stood quietly while looking straight
at Hajime and the two girls.
「Who are you? What do you want with us?」
「...」
The bald man did not answer Hajime; rather, he silently pointed
with his finger.
Though where he pointed at was just a pile of rubble, the man's
gaze told them to continue. Hajime knew questions would get
him no further, so he nodded to Tio and headed to the
location. At that moment, the rubble floated and the ground
beneath it shined faintly. Located there was one of the crests
of the Great Labyrinth.
「... You're one of the Liberators...?」
As Hajime voiced his question, many lights surrounded them. In
the next instant, they were standing in a completely unknown
 space. It was not that large. The room was painted a lustrous
black, and a magic formation was drawn in the center. There
was an antique book on a pedestal nearby. They had been
taken to the final room of the Labyrinth.
They walked toward the magic formation. Hajime grabbed Aiko's
hand, a “?” floating over her head, and led her as he and Tio
stepped into the formation.
They did not feel the typical sensation of their memories being
probed; rather, it felt as if something was going deeper inside.
The three let out a groan in their discomfort. For a moment,
they thought it was a trap, but the sensation disappeared
quickly. They were recognized as people who completed the
Labyrinth and the magic was directly engraved in their minds.
「... Spirit Magic?」
「Hmm. It appears to be magic which can directly interfere with
the soul.」
「I see. So this is how Mildy's soul survived and was placed into a
golem...」
Aiko crouched down while holding her head. After Hajime nodded
in consent, they approached the pedestal and picked up the
book.
It was a diary written by Raus Ban, the founder of the Great
Labyrinth, 【Shinzan.】It explained the same things Oscar
Orcus had said and included the exchanges the Liberators had
until he died.
Still, Hajime was not interested. He quickly skimmed through the
book. He did not care about Raus Ban's life at all. Though it
was explained why Raus Ban remained as a spirit rather than a
golem like Mildy, Hajime was through with reading.
At the end, the conditions required for conquering the Labyrinth
were written. Raus Ban's body would appear as a guide when
the challenger had been accepted.
Two or more proofs of the Great Labyrinths were required. The
challenger must not have faith in God or have overcome some
form of influence that used God's power. In other words, the
 concept behind 【Shinzan】was that of possessing a firm will
that would not bow down to the gods.
Though that was all, originally, challenging it by the proper route
may have also been a means of being accepted. Aiko had been
accepted; though she received quite a number of teachings
from the Church, her feelings for her students were far beyond
her faith, or perhaps it was enough that she had the judgment
to act against the Saint Church.
For the people of this world, the conditions were harsh, but it was
simple enough for Hajime's group.
At last, Aiko recovered from the shock. Hajime took the book and
the ring of proof from the pedestal, and they quickly left. Once
again, Raus Ban's crest shined as they returned to their original
place.
「Sensei, you okay?」
「Uu, yes, somehow... even so, this Mmagic is amazing... If there's
such incredible magic, then we might find a way to return to
Japan.」
Aiko nodded and massaged her temples.
She looked tired, as the events of the previous few days had
finally ended.
「Well, we know where the formation is now, so let's quickly join
up with Yue and the others.」
「Ah~ That's right! The Kingdom is under attack, right? I hope
everyone's safe...」
Her face full of worry, Aiko clenched her hands in prayer as they
descended the mountain. Still, the only way down was to
simply jump.
Aiko screamed as she experienced the sensation of free fall.
Hajime and Tio were accustomed to it, though.
With Aiko on his shoulder, they landed on the ground, ignoring
the flames and screams of the people of the Kingdom as they
went to meet with Kaori and the others.
What they found when they met up was...
A sword thrust through her chest, Kaori no longer breathing.
A little while back, shortly after Liliana arrived in the Palace.
Pakyaaaan!!
「!? What was that!?」
Yaegashi Shizuku jumped out of bed as she heard the sound of
glass shattering. She quickly removed the sheet and took out
the black sword beneath her pillow, cautiously preparing to
defend herself. Clearly, she was one who never fully rested and
remained prepared to attack.
「...」
Shizuku prepared to draw her sword and lowered her breath, but,
sensing there were no abnormalities in her room, she sighed in
relief.
The reason Shizuku had become more cautious lately was
because she was unable to meet a few people over the past
few days.
It was a few days after she narrowly escaped from death in
【Orcus Great Labyrinth】where she also departed with her
best friend who went to travel with her loved one.
She had a sense of incompatibility. Though she could not clarify
“what” the issue was, she felt unrest in the palace.
She could not verbalize it, she did not understand it, her best
friend was not by her side, the Devils were expanding their
power, and she was confronting the problem of having the
resolution of “killing people.” The problems were piling up one
after another, so she was more nervous than she expected.
But she did not misunderstand it. Something was happening.
And today, she was convinced of it.
3 days ago, when Aiko returned, she mentioned having something
important to talk about during dinner, but in their time apart,
Aiko had disappeared. She did not appear during dinner.
Furthermore, the guards and ladies-in-waiting for Liliana were
panicking, not understanding where she had gone.
2 people close to them were gone. Not just Shizuku, Kouki's group
as well as the Ai-chan guard led by Sonobe Yuuka searched.
At that time, the Temple Knights led by David were called by Pope
Ishtar to discuss Aiko who they were originally supposed to
guard.
Naturally, Shizuku strongly insisted she speak as well, but her
words were ignored. The lift up 【Shinzan】leading to the
church at the top was halted, so she could not go.
As for Liliana, she had originally gone to speak to her father, King
Elhid, but she was told to be silent and behave herself and was
confined to her room for 3 days.
There was an unspeakable anxiety. A frustration without clear
reason. At this time, her being unable to meet with the reliable
Commander Meld only further worsened this emotion.
3 days. Surely after waiting for 3 days...
She thought so, and it was now the morning of the 3 rd day.
In the end, neither Aiko nor Liliana returned.
On the contrary, Those related to Ishtar and the church appeared
in the palace while David was still gone. The lift was still not
operating.
King Elhid as well as the prime minister could not be seen.
And tomorrow will be the 4th day since Liliana and Aiko went
missing.
Aside from Shizuku, perhaps only Yuuka had a clear sense of crisis.
Kouki, even if he felt something, thought it was due to the matter
of Hajime being recognized as a heretic was in prolonged
discussions and did not believe anything major would happen
in the palace.
His complicated emotions toward Hajime, Kaori leaving, and the
internal problems preventing him from fighting had yet to go
away, so he was focused on himself.
And Kouki's thoughts spread to the other students who were
reliant on him. If Kouki felt things were safe, then surely they
would be safe, they felt.
That was why Shizuku only consulted with Yuuka who had a
 similar anxiety.
If Aiko and Liliana did not return by this evening, they would head
out to physically climb 【Shinzan.】
For that reason, they went to get rest in preparation for an 8000
meter climb, sleeping while fully cautious.
Shizuku got out of bed, straightened her equipment, and carefully
left her room.
Kii, hearing the doorknob turn, Shizuku instinctively took her
stance.
She looked out to see Yuuka, Taeko, and Nana peaking their heads
out their own doorway, one on top of another like a totem
pole.
「Ah, Shizuku-chi!」
Seeing Shizuku, Nana instinctively called out. Seeing Shizuku with
hand on blade, she said 「Is there someone suspicious
outside!?」while Yuuka and Taeko responded with 「Idiot!」
and 「Careless!」while hitting her head in anger.
「I'm sorry~!」she cried, reducing Shizuku's tension. She waved
to indicate things were fine.
The girls slowly walked out their room and met with Shizuku
before heading to Kouki's room, knocking on the door.
The door was opened immediately. Ryuutarou had awoken and
was in the back of the room. They, too, had awoken from the
loud sound.
After being surprised that the door was immediately opened,
Shizuku looked as if she had a headace and stared at Kouki
speechlessly.
「... Kouki, you need to be a bit more cautious. You opened the
door so easily... what happened if someone suddenly
attacked?」
「? It's the palace, right? There's no way anyone suspicious would
be here, right?」
Kouki opened the door as usual with no sign of caution. Rather,
he had a blank expression. Though he heard the shattering
noise, he did not doubt the safety of the palace.
Judging from his blurry eyes, he was not quite awake, either.
She had warned Kouki and Ryuutarou that 「Something is going
on, so be careful,」and they responded with 「I think you're
worrying too much, but we'll keep watch,」but it seems they
did not take her seriously.
Seeing this, Shizuku glanced at Yuuka and the two girls. They
immediately understood her and separated to wake up their
classmates.
As expected of the vanguard, Nagayama Juugo, Nomura Kentaro,
Kousuke Endo, Tsuji Ayako, and Yoshino Mao from Nagayama's
party and Hiyama Daisuke, Kondo Reiichi, Nakano Shinji, and
Yoshiki Saito of the Hiyama party were quickly found in the
hallway straightening their equipment soon after they were
called.
As for Tamai Atsushi and Aikawa Noboru, they had left to call the
Ai-chan guard.
Even so, the classmates who always stayed behind literally had to
be “beaten” awake as they were still half asleep, but
eventually they came out of their rooms due to being
frightened by the shattering sound.
「Everyone! Sorry for waking you up! But that sound from before
means something broke. I think we'll be fine in the palace for
now, but we need to confirm what's going on. Let's act
together and prepare for an emergency!」
Kouki cried out to bring order to the anxious people who typically
stayed behind.
We can stay in our rooms while you go and investigate...
The class members all thought so, but eventually they nodded.
At that time, light footsteps sounded in the hall.
Shizuku turned her gaze to see Nia, the maid who attended to the
class and became Shizuku's friend. She was also the maid who,
before, scolded Yuuka and Atsushi for relying too much on
Shizuku.
「Nia!」
「Shizuku-sama...」
While Shizuku called to Nia, she felt her expression lacked energy.
She was from a knight's lineage and always carried a dignified
air... but she did not have this presence, as if her existence was
thin; it gave her a sense of incongruity.
Though Shizuku frowned a little, hearing Nia's words, her sense of
incompatibility was blown away.
「The first of the Great Barrier has been broken.」
「... What was that?」
Shizuku responded on reflex. Nia informed her of the fact
indifferently.
「The Devils are invading. They have a large army close to the
Capital. Their attack broke through one of the Great Barriers.」
「... That's, what on earth...」
The information was too far removed from reality. Shizuku could
only look at her in blank surprise.
Not just her, Kouki as well as her classmates were the same;
immediately, they grew noisy.
No one questioned the impossibility of a large army of Devils
invading the capital. The capital was a long distance from the
north and surrounded by the great barrier; how could they
possibly pass through so much territory without being
noticed?
Furthermore, the barrier itself was now breaking. Throughout the
centuries, this defense was absolute.
For Kouki's group being told this, it was obviously impossible to
remain calm.
「... Nia. So far, is it only the 3rd wall that has broken so far?」
Kouki asked with a stern face.
The Great Barrier which protects the capital was composed of 3
parts. The 1st was the innermost, then the 2nd, then the 3rd
barrier with the 1st barrier being the most solid as well as
confined.
「Yes, currently... However, the first barrier was destroyed by a
single blow. It is a matter of time until the rest are
destroyed...」
Kouki proposed they head out hearing Nia's words. Everyone
nodded in approval.
「We'll buy even a little bit of time. Have the people of the
Kingdom take shelter. Gather the knights and soldiers...」
Kouki showed a resolute expression. Shizuku and Ryuutarou, as
well as Suzu and Nagayama's party had a similar resolve.
Other classmates had dark expressions and looked away.
They were the ones who lost the desire to fight on the front lines.
They could not fight, even if they did decide to help.
Kouki could sympathize with them; they had originally strayed
away from the battlefield, so he could only try to get them in
order. At that time, an unexpected person spoke up ---
Nakamura Eri.
「Wait, Kouki-kun. Don't fight without permission. We should join
Meld-san first.」
「Eri... But,」
Eri looked away from Kouki who was hesitating and spoke to Nia.
「Nia-san, this army... do you know how large it is?」
「... Probably around 100 000.」
The students took a deep breath hearing that number. Nia had
certainly said this was not an “attack” but an “invasion.”
「Kouki-kun. We can't handle it alone... We can't oppose them
with our numbers. We are stronger than others, so we should
act where we are necessary. I think it is best if Meld-san takes
action first...」
Though Eri was a modest girl with glasses, the strength in her eyes
was by no means inferior to Kouki's.
Her words were reasonable as well.
「Yeah, Suzu agrees with Eririn. As expected of Eririn! Those
glasses aren't for show!」
「Glasses are unrelated... Suzu...」
「Fu fu. I also agree with Eri. We were a little lacking in our
calmness. Kouki?」
Hearing the opinion of the 3 girls, Kouki hesitated. However, Kouki
considerably trusted Eri's judgment despite being someone
 who usually stands quietly in the back.
「Right. We can't rush in alone, we need to cooperate with
others. Let's join Meld-san.」
In the end, as Eri had recommended, they decided to join Meld
and the knights. Nagayama, Hiyama, and Yuuka, the leaders of
their corresponding parties, did not seem to disagree.
The class headed toward where the knights and soldiers dispatch.
All without noticing the broad grin from close by...

As they reached the dispatch point, many soldiers and knights

were lined up in an orderly manner.
The Vice-Commander of the knights of Hairihi Kingdom, Jose
Rancaid, was briefing the others in a loud voice on a platform
in front of everyone. While bathing in the moonlight, the
soldiers stood with pale expressions. They seemed to watch
Jose, lacking in vigor.
Jose noticed Kouki and the students arrive and beckoned to them.
「... You came. Do you know what's going on?」
「Yes. We heard it from Nia. Where is Meld-san?」
Kouki nodded and questioned Jose. He did not see Meld
anywhere while looking about.
「The Commander is a bit busy. From now on, you are our
leader...」
Jose guided Kouki and the students to the center of the soldiers
who were lined up.
「Eh? Us, too?」everyone said. Though they were puzzled, they
were still guided to the soldiers who seemed drained.
Everyone was silent; the soldiers seemed to have little change in
their expression. Shizuku recalled her sense of incompatibility
even more seeing the knights. She had a bad feeling, as if they
had been waiting for this timing. Shizuku's mind was on full
alert. Her grip strengthened unconsciously.
「Hey, Shizuku, this is...」
「... I know. Be careful. Something is off.」
Yuuka expressed her anxiety quietly, and Shizuku nodded, unable
to comfort her since she was also worried about the
classmates who typically stayed behind.
Something was wrong.
It seemed everyone in the class felt this way. But no one said a
word.
Finally, they reached the center of the soldiers and knights.
Jose began speaking again. The sense of incompatibility only
swelled.
「Everyone, the time draws near. However, we have no need to
fear. We have no enemies. We know no defeat. We will not die
from their attacks. Everyone, we welcome the Heroes. We
exist for this day. Now, take up your swords.」
The soldiers and knights drew their swords, all at once.
「Eh, a, wai,」a confused voice sounded. Everyone, Shizuku
included, were separated little by little. Even Kousuke ended
up being pushed aside in the movements. Yuuka, too, called
out.
They were not split up into pairs, they were completely separated.
Those from the vanguard and the Ai-chan guard --- were
surrounded!
Shizuku felt goosebumps. Her instincts were sounding loudly.
「Everyone, ru---!」
「Let this signal be the start--- Let us begin.」
Shizuku began warning others, but Jose took something out of his
breast pocket and raised it overhead quickly.
Because of his voice and the gaze of all the soldiers and knights,
everyone looked on reflex.
In that moment,
Kaa!!
Light erupted.
A flash of light, similar to the flash grenades Hajime used, lit the
area.
The students, who were staring at it, became defenseless. They
looked away, covering their eyes. They could not see.
Suddenly, the fresh sound of meat being broken could be heard,
「Aguu?」
「Gaa!」
「Gufuu!?」
Muffled screams could be heard.
A while ago, they heard screams of surprise from the light. This
time, they heard screams of pain. Immediately after, the sound
of people falling could be heard.
Gin, Shizuku's black sword meeting something hard rang.
She had barely parried the hidden knife attack that came under
the cover of light.
She could not see either. But due to her training and her building
anxiety sharpening her senses, she surpassed her typical
ability and blocked the sightless attack.
When the light settled, Shizuku looked around and saw the worst
sight possible.
Her classmates, front line or back line, were pinned to the ground
with the swords of soldiers and knights.
「Wh, this...」
Even if she could imagine it, the image would not have appeared
like this.
What happened. Why is this happening. Shizuku could not speak.
Her friends were groaning in agony, their voices stabbing her ears.
Her thoughts stopped from the unreal situation.
Of course, her worst thoughts that her friends were dying was not
true, but Kouki, Ryuutarou, Suzu, and Yuuka, they were
covered in blood and barely alive.
Though she was slightly relieved, this degree of injury on the
vanguard was especially cruel; a cold sweat ran down her body
from the unpredictable situation.
Though Ryuutarou and Juugo were in a bad shape, Kousuke was
especially worse for wear. Daggers were not only in his back
but in all of his limbs, and he was convulsing in pain.
On top of that, their magic power was sealed.
They could not use Recovery Magic.
Shizuku grew more anxious as she looked at the nearby soldiers
and knights.
「Oh my, should I say this is expected... right, Shizuku?」
「Eh? Eh... what!?」
Only one of her classmates remained calm while everyone else
was on the ground.
The student spoke with a musical tone, completely different from
her usual temperament. Because she was obviously strange,
Shizuku could not help but question her on reflex.
The next moment, a knight thrust a sword toward Shizuku's back.
「Kuu!?」
Though shaken by the sudden change in the person she knew so
well, the girl looked at Shizuku, amazed that she was able to
barely clash swords.
「I suppose it can't be helped... Really, you're troublesome, aren't
you, Shizuku?」
「What did you say!」
The soldiers and knights began thrusting their swords forward.
Though Shizuku managed to escape them all, she turned away
when her name was called.
「Shizuku-sama! Help...」
「Nia!」
Thrown down by a knight was Nia, about to be stabbed.
Shizuku moved quickly with “Motionless” and reached Nia,
lowering her sword in a flash. She hit the knight's sheathe,
blowing him away.
「Nia, are you okay?」
「Shizuku-sama...」
Shizuku supported Nia who had fallen down as she looked about
in caution.
At that time, Nia clung to Shizuku.
Then--- She stabbed Shizuku in the back with a dagger.
「!? N, Nia? Wh, why...」
「...」
Shizuku's face was distorted in pain and confusion as she looked
 down at Nia.
Nia did not look like her usual cheerful self. She only looked back
at Shizuku without an expression on her face.
Shizuku noticed at last.
Earlier, she thought Nia looked odd because the Capital had been
invaded, but that was not the case. She was the same as the
soldiers and knights surrounding them.
“They're the same,” her eyes --- as well as the eyes of all the
soldiers and knights.
Nia, too, was seized by the abnormality.
Though she noticed the abnormality in her friend, it was fatal that
she a cted slowly. Nia was restraining Shizuku to the ground
while twisting her arm up, and her magic was sealed similar to
the other students.
「A ha ha, I suppose you didn't think this girl would cut you as
well, Shizuku? Yeah, yeah, that's right. That's why I prepared
her.」
With a scorching pain in her back and her cheek forced to the
ground, Shizuku clenched her teeth. She realized it was not
just the soldiers who had lost their sanity. She called the name
of her friend who had an unpleasant smile she normally did
not wear.
She did not want to accept it.
She did not want to admit it, but because she did not, this
disastrous scene came to pass.
She looked at the unpleasant smile on the face of her friend who
rarely smiled.
「What is the meaning of this... Eri.」
Yes, the person was one of Shizuku's best friends whom she
shared both joys and sorrows with---

It was Nakamura Eri.

Though she had sustained severe injuries, she stared at the Eri
who walked about calmly through the absent-minded soldiers.
 Since she did not kill off the students, it seemed she did not
want them to die immediately.
She had aimed for them to not die immediately. Though he had
sustained severe injuries, Kouki was alive, looking at Eri in
blank surprise.
None of the soldiers or knights had attacked her; rather, they
stood upright, showing that they were under Eri's control.
Juugo and Yuuka who were pinned to the ground as well as
Kousuke who was on the verge of fainting from blood loss
looked at her with wide eyes as she gazed upon them happily,
showing the reality of the matter. Eri's slowly began walking.
Eri, without answering Shizuku's question, approached Kouki.
She took her glasses off and placed a collar to seal Kouki's magic
power away around his neck.
「Eh, Eri... What on... guu, why...」
Though she was one of Shizuku's best friends, she was completely
different from the Eri she knew. Kouki desperately spoke his
doubts while bearing the pain from the sword in his back.
However, Eri ignored his question, her eyes seemingly heated.
Then,
「A ha, Kouki-kun, I've caught you~」
「Nmu!」
While saying this, she placed her lips on Kouki's.
A fresh sound could be heard through the odd silence. Eri seemed
crazed, as if releasing everything she had saved up for years.
Kouki, though he did not understand what was going on, tried to
shake her off desperately; however, he was unable to move
with the sword in his back. Several of the students had magic
sealing collars placed as well.
Perhaps satisfied after so long, Eri separated from Kouki, a silver
thread connecting them. She narrowed her eyes, a rapt
expression on her face, as she licked her mouth. She glared at
the other students on the ground bleeding. Many had tortured
expressions while others looked at her blankly.
Seeing this, she nodded in satisfaction.
She looked back at Shizuku with a smile.
「Well, that's how it is, Shizuku.」
「... What does that mean.. Kofu...」
Shizuku did not understand and stared at Eri. Eri shook her head
and began to explain her reasons as if talking to a child.
「Hmm, you don't understand? I've wanted Kouki-kun for a long
time now. That's why I did what was necessary for it. Get it?」
「... If you liked Kouki, you should have just confessed... doing
something like this...」
Eri became expressionless for a moment hearing Shizuku's
rebuttal.
However, she smiled again and began speaking.
「That's no good. No good at all~ Confessing is no good. I can't
possibly be special to Kouki-kun because he is far too kind,
even to the trash around him. That's why I did my best to clean
up the garbage surrounding him.」
Do you understand? Eri shrugged her shoulders in relief.
Rather than being angry at being called garbage, Shizuku simply
looked surprised. Honestly, it was as if she was meeting
someone for the first time.
「Fu fu. It's great we came to a different world. In Japan, it's hard
to clean up the trash, it's not easy to live. Of course, there's no
guarantee we'll win the war and return to Japan, either.
Naturally, I decided Kouki-kun and I could always, always live
here.」
Kusu kusu, Eri laughed beneath her breath. Shizuku could never
imagine such words could come from Eri's mouth.
「... It can't be... the reason the Great Barrier broke so easily...」
「A ha ha, so you noticed? Yes, I broke it.」
The worst had happened. Though Shizuku did not know how the
Devils approached so suddenly, it was because of Eri that the
Great Barrier had broken so easily. Eri looked at the knights
and soldiers beside her.
「If you die, the Kingdom will end... That's why I contacted the
 Devils. I'd guide them into the Capital and murder the people
from another world. I would present the knights to them as
puppets. The only ones left would be Kouki-kun and me.」
「Impossible... You were communicating with the Devils...」
Kouki recovered from the impact of the kiss somehow and
muttered in disbelief.
Eri had trained for a long time with them in the Palace. He could
not argue well, finding it difficult to believe Eri's words.
However, Eri easily broke his hopes.
「Back in 【Orcus Great Labyrinth,】the Devil woman attacked us.
As I expected, they came to gather us. I used that. Still, that
was dangerous. I thought I would be killed if I didn't act
carefully... so I used Necromancy on reflex... even though I
used it to send a message since I didn't want to be doubted...
Well, the results were all right...」
According to Eri's words, she had used Necromancy and managed
to leave a message to the Devil woman.
It was also the reason Mikhail knew of Cattelya's death, since she
used the corpse of a suitable “Human” as a messenger.
Hearing Eri's story, Shizuku recalled her Necromancer abilities and
grew pale.
Necromancy was a magic which acted on the residual thoughts of
the dead... She wanted to conceal it at all costs before, but she
could clearly use it completely. The results were all around
them as the soldiers and knights surrounded the class.
「So... the reason they all look strange...」
「Of course, that's because of my Necromancy~ Everyone is
already dead~ A ha ha ha ha ha ha!」
Shizuku clenched her teeth.
「... It can't be. Necromancy... You shouldn't be able to do it...!」
「Can't you see my power right now? This is my ability, it is my
original skill, “Soul Bind,” which makes them into my
servants.」
Originally, Necromancy acted on residual thoughts. It was a
means to consider the intent of people before they died.
 However, she coated these residual thoughts with magic and
gave them a new reality, allowing her to control them. It was
possible for her to move even corpses if the souls possessed
them.
Naturally, compared to when they were alive, their actions
deteriorated since they could not think. Unless controlled
directly, they would not move. Of course, they would continue
to carry out simple commands such as “keep attacking.”
In other words, the reason Nia and Jose seemed odd when
Shizuku spoke to them was because of Necromancy.
Shizuku recalled her sense of incompatibility. The magic “Soul
Bind” Eri used had added memories to their pattern of
thought, which made them act a little differently from when
they were alive.
It was interference with the soul. Simply put, Eri reached the
domain of the Age of Gods Magic.
She was truly a cheat in Necromancy. Her talent was of a genius
level, or perhaps it was her obsession that acted as her driving
force.
The reason Eri did not kill the students immediately was because
“Soul Bind” could only be used moments before death. It had
taken quite some time for her to make all these soldiers and
knights into her puppets.
It taken a lot of time, and, furthermore, no one noticed her
actions.
An unpleasant image floated in Shizuku's thoughts.
「It can't be, Ai-chan and Lily...」
「Hm? Ah, that's something else. I don't care about them.」
Because Eri was acting behind the scenes, she thought Eri had
gotten rid of them, but given Eri's appearance, she truly was
unconcerned, which caused Shizuku to have a mild sense of
relief.
But then Eri smiled unpleasantly again.
「Isn't it a bit too early to relax?」
「Eh?」
「Because the person who took Ai-chan away is really dangerous.
Rather, she cooperated once I told my plan. This is someone
who brought the center of the country under her control all on
her own. You noticed, right? The King changed quite a bit,
right?」
「!」
It was not just Shizuku who took a deep breath. Yuuko's group,
who had been searching for Aiko for the past few days, were
also worried.
Certainly, the behavior of the higher ups was odd.
But to think the center of the country had already fallen.
「I was surprised when I found the plan out. At that time, there
were a number of things I decided on.」
Eri pretended to wipe away sweat which was not there. There
was a lot that must have gone on behind the scenes, but it did
not truly seem like she had a problem with it.
「Thanks to her, the problems were taken away and I could move
quickly. The heavens have truly sided with me. I really am
blessed. Ku fuf u. It's fine, I won't waste your deaths,
everyone! I'll make sure to recycle them to use for the
Devils!」
Eri danced. She made sport of the dead and her friends who were
on the ground.
She surely believed she was blessed and spread her arms as she
spun around and around.
Kouki, understanding Eri was seriously, desperately called to her.
「Guu... Stop it... Eri! If you do something like this... I...」
「You won't forgive me? A ha ha, I thought I told you, you really
are gentle, Kouki-kun. Even if I'm just clearing away the trash,
you feel pain... That's why I will properly use “Soul Bind” on
you. I will make you mine alone. You will see no one else. You
will watch only me. You will say what it is I hope for... You will
be mine alone, Kouki-kun! Ahh, ahh! I can't stop thinking of
it!」
Eri held her body closely with an engrossed expression. The
 beautiful library committee girl was nonexistent.
Everyone thought she had gone mad. With “Soul Bind,” the dead
could be conveniently used as puppets of the Necromancer;
they would be no different from a doll.
They understood that. Still, someone held hope.
「It can't be... It can't be! Uu, Eririn... It can't be... I'm sure you're
being manipulated! Wake up, Eri!」
Suzu, Eri's best friend, cried out in pain. She scratched at the
ground, trying to crawl to Eri.
Eri looked straight at Suzu and smiled. She slowly approached
them.
Kondo had a bad feeling and screamed as he tried to move away
from Eri even a little bit. Naturally, he was still being held
down. With his magic sealed, he could not possibly escape.
Eri stood next to Kondo and looked at him as he trembled in fear.
「Stop!」Kouki screamed.
「S, Stop!? Gaa, Aah, Agaa...」
Kondo screamed. The sword was thrust through his heart.
It was a single blow without holding back. A completely fatal
strike.
「! Guaa!」
「Shit, Nakamura! Bastard, Gaha!」
Nakano and Saito's anger echoed. However, unable to get the
knights off them, they cried out in agony. No one could do a
thing.
For a while, Kondo struggled, but he quickly grew weak and...
stopped moving.
Eri held her hand up to Kondo and chanted an aria no one knew.
When she finished chanting it, she called out “Soul Bind.” A
thin light surrounded Kondo's corpse.
Next, the knight restraining Kondo stood up and fell back one
step.
Kondo's heart had been destroyed, yet he slowly stood up, his
expression no different from the surrounding soldiers and
knights.
「Okay~ One doll, completed~」
The students stared at Kondo in stunned surprise while Eri
cheerfully spoke. Just now, someone had died; they could not
think she had just murdered someone with how she spoke.
「E, Eri... why...」
Suzu was in shock and asked for Eri to explain herself.
「Hey, Suzu? Should I thank you? Whether back in Japan or here,
you were always a convenient tool that stood behind Kouki-
kun.」
「... Eh?」
「Don't get it? Kouki-kun was always with Shizuku and Kaori. You
carelessly approached them, and all the other girls were
jealous... We were all powerless, anything we did would just
drive us to self-destruction. I respected, welcomed your
existence. No matter what, you were simply happy. Even if
people insulted you since you so easily entered Kouki-kun's
circle, you remained the same. That's why I decided to become
“Tanimura Suzu's best friend.” You really were convenient.
Thank you. Since you were next to Kouki-kun, I could be, too.
Even when we were in a different party when we came here...
Right, you really were useful~ That's why, thank you!」
「... Ahh, uu, ahh...」
Eri's confession shook Suzu. Everything she had built with her best
friend, everything she believed in for so long, was but a fallacy.
The light left her eyes as she mentally escaped.
「Eri! You!」
Shizuku called out angrily. Nia, currently a puppet, gripped her
hair and forced her to the ground.
Even so, Shizuku looked up, her eyes filled with anger.
「Fu fu, are you angry? That face of yours is really good. I've hated
you for so long. You were always by Kouki-kun's side. He hardly
looked at me. I never liked you. That's why I've given you a
wonderful role.」
「... Role...?」
「Ku fu, right? How will your best friend, who you haven't met in a
 while, feel to be killed by you?」
With those words, Shizuku understood what Eri intended to do.
「It can't be, Kaori!?」
You get it! Eri clapped her hands. She smiled.
She was going to make Shizuku into a puppet and have her
murder Kaori.
「Though it was a problem that Nagumo took her away... I'd like
to make her into a doll. She's helped me quite a lot, so I
suppose she deserves a reward. I promised to keep her
character! She's a good woman, right?」
「D, Don't you! Gofu... Agaaa!?」
Shizuku began moving in her anger, opening her wound in the
process. Nia thrust the blade in further.
「A ha, does it hurt? It hurts, right? I'm kind. I'll erase you right
now...」
This time, she approached Shizuku.
Seeing this, Kouki desperately resisted.
Kouki's resistance was intense as a crack appeared in the magic
sealing collar. A powerful pressure flowed from his body as he
used “Limit Break.”
However, he could not break free immediately with his joints
bound.
Unable to move, even with this, despair floated in his face.
Shizuku grew light headed as she continued to bleed. To the very
end, she glared at Eri with a fierce rage.
Eri looked down with a smile. She took a sword from a nearby
knight.
「Bye? Shizuku, didn't you know, I always wanted to vomit when I
saw you?」
Eri ignored Shizuku who glared at her.
Shizuku, thinking about the tragedy that would happen in the
future, prayed her thoughts would reach her best friend
somewhere in the world.
(I'm sorry, Kaori. Please, don't trust me next time we meet...
Survive... Be happy...)
The knight's sword was inverted, reflecting the moonlight.
Like a stake of wood being thrust into the heart of a vampire, it
moved toward Shizuku's heart.
While watching this, Shizuku prayed.
Please, let her find happiness.
Please, let her be happy.
I, though I will die first, I don't want to harm you. I'm sure you'll
be safe, since he's beside you. Be strong.
Live happily with the one you love...
Please...
Her mind faded away. The world seemed to slow down. Shizuku
recalled her life as the sword fell down on her.
「Ah, so this is my life flashing before my eyes... 」Shizuku thought
as the sword was thrust downward --- but it did not take her
life.
「Eh?」
「Eh?」
Shizuku and Eri called out at the same time.
Eri had thrust the sword downward, but it was stopped by a
barrier the size of the palm of one's hand.
The two were stunned by what happened. The voice of a person
who should not be here sounded, her face filled with anxiety.
It was the person Shizuku wished happiness for, the voice of her
best friend.
「Shizuku-chan!」
Ten shining barriers appeared before anyone was aware to defend
Shizuku as another exploded before Eri and Nia.
She had forcefully released the barriers in front of Eri and Nia,
exploding their magic as light.
「!?」
Eri covered her eyes with both arms and was blown to the side as
another barrier burst.
Nia, who was over Shizuku, was similarly blown away. Though she
got up instantly to restrain Shizuku,
「--- 『Bright Enveloping Chains!』」
A rope of light bound her in place.
Shizuku was surprised by the sudden situation but turned to the
voice calling to her.
From between the knights who had surrounded them, her best
friend who should not have been here appeared.
It was not a fantasy.
Kaori looked at Shizuku, tears in her eyes. She was surely relieved
to see Shizuku was still alive.
「K, Kaori.」
「Shizuku-chan! Wait! I'll help you right away!」
Kaori desperately called out and chanted Recovery Magic in a
hurry.
She thought it best to use “Sacred Scripture,” the Supreme Rank
Recovery Magic in order to heal everyone present.
「!? Why are you here! You're just an obstruction!」
Eri gave an order to the knights with an ugly face. Stop Kaori's
magic. The knights attacked Kaori all together.
However, their swords were stopped by a barrier of light. Kaori
was not injured in the least.
「Everyone! What on earth is going on! Come back to your
normal selves! Eri! What is going on!?」
Liliana stood next to Kaori, defending her as she chanted the
Supreme Rank Recovery Magic. A spherical barrier defended
the two.
Liliana was confused why the knights and soldiers had held Kouki
and the students down and Eri was acting like their leader. She
demanded Eri give an explanation while setting up a barrier;
however, Eri did not listen to her at all.
Liliana was an excellent Barrier Master. She had covered Moore's
entire caravan before and held off forty or more bandits.
Compared to then, she could endure until Kaori completed her
aria.
Because Eri understood that, she seemed to have some anxiety.
「Tch, I guess it can't be helped?」
Perhaps out of anxiety, Eri looked at her classmates.
She was determined to give up her puppets and have Kaori killed
before she could heal the others.
At that time, someone appeared, knocking down a nearby knight,
almost causing Liliana's barrier to drop in surprise.
The one next to the fallen knight... was Hiyama Daisuke.
「Shirasaki! Princess Liliana! So you're safe!」
「Hiyama-san? Your injuries are terrible!」
Liliana saw Hiyama and turned pale. Though Kaori did not stop
chanting, she, too, was astonished.
Hiyama's chest was covered in blood; he had worked hard to slip
out of his restraints.
He staggered forward, his hand on the barrier.
Liliana opened the barrier for a moment to allow Hiyama to pass.
However, at that moment, Shizuku cried out impatiently.
「Don't! Get away from him!」
She vomited blood as she desperately warned the two.
Hiyama had somehow managed to escape when even Kouki could
not. He was clearly someone who desired Kaori and likely the
accomplice Eri had.
It was clear Liliana's barrier was the only thing allowing Kaori to
continue chanting. The reason he acted as he had...
「Kyaa!?」
「Ah---」
Shizuku's warning was not in time.
Hiyama approached and knocked down Liliana, causing her
barrier to dissolve. He closely embraced Kaori and thrust a
blade straight into her back.
「Kaoriiii!!」
Shizuku screamed.
Hiyama, a light of insanity in his eyes, buried his face into Kaori's
neck as he held her closely. Naturally, his hand was on the
blade buried into her chest.
Hiyama was not injured because, from the start, he was
pretending as he hung back.
He stood back seeing Kouki's explosive power. When Kaori
 appeared, he judged Kouki would recover, so he acted.
「Hi hi, finally, finally you're mine... After all, I'm better than
Nagumo, aren't I? Right? Hey, Shira... no, Kaori? Hey? Gi hi,
Hey, Nakamura, hurry up and get it over with. Remember our
contract.」
Eri shrugged and walked to Kaori to perform “Soul Bind.”
Someone screamed out.
「Gaaaaa! You!!」
It was Kouki. His body creaked as he screamed in anger,
desperately trying to escape as he thought Kaori was injured
gravely.
The magic sealing collar grew even more cracked. Still, it was not
enough to escape from the knights.
Words reached Hiyama's ears. Even though Kaori had received a
mortal wound, she was muttering something.
Hiyama, worried, brought his ear close to her mouth.
And then he heard,
「--- Holy... Mother... who smiles... upon us... “Sacred...
Scripture.”」
Despite being grievously injured, she finished the incantation of
the Supreme Rank magic.
Kaori had used magic stubbornly.
Hiyama's eyes opened wide in astonishment.
Kaori knew she had been fatally wounded. However, she did not
grieve or cry or call out the name of her beloved--- she fought.
Kaori thought to herself.
He, the one I fell in love with, would never give up, no matter the
situation. If I want to stand next to him, then I can't show any
disgrace.
Even if she was hardly conscious, she finished her magic with her
strong desire. It activated in exchange for Kaori's life.
A ripple of light spread out from Kaori.
It ran through the plaza in an instant. It was a strong magic which
healed everyone's wounds; the light of healing pushed out the
swords. Even the puppet soldiers moved dully.
Naturally, Kaori was included in the light of healing. Her wound
was being healed; however, Kaori could not be fully healed
since Hiyama, half in a frenzy, prevented the blade from
leaving her.
Kaori would not be healed in the end, and she would certainly
die.
「Ahhhhh!!」
Kouki screamed.
With his body healed, the magic sealing collar broke. At the same
time, a pure white light gushed from his body.
Kouki's power had increased five-fold with the final derivation
skill of “Limit Break,” 「+Supreme Dominance.」
「You... I won't forgive you!」
Though the knights tried to stop Kouki, he stole a sword from the
nearest knight and easily cut the puppets in two, holding up
his other hand as the Holy Sword flew through the air into his
grasp.
He held up his hand and called the Holy Sword; it flew through
the air, spinning, and entered Kouki's hand.
「Restrain him.」
Eri had a sour expression as she ordered her puppets.
「You're in the way --- “Soaring Flash!”」
But Kouki cleanly cut them in two.
He could not avoid the feeling of running away from murder.
However, with his fury from having lost his friends, he moved
his sword. He already recognized these people as dead.
Fortunately, his reckless action with his sword managed to
liberate several of the students.
Some began moving as if waiting for it to happen.
There were many freed students now --- Ryuutarou, Atsushi,
Yuuko, and there was also Kousuke; despite being surrounded,
he had escaped.
That was natural. It was unrelated to his magic being sealed. As
soon as one took his eyes off Kousuke, he would be gone from
their minds.
「Tamai! Sonobe! Take this!」
Before they were restrained, their artifacts were thrown to them
--- a cutlass-like musical sword to Tamai, and a set of 12
throwing knives to Yuuko.
Though the two did not notice Kousuke's calling, they noticed
their artifacts landing at their feet.
「Tamai, please! Free my hands!」
「Don't blame me if you're hurt!」
Seeing Yuuka present her wrists which were bound with a magic
seal, Atsushi lowered his sound sword with some hesitation.
As expected, he barely missed cutting her.
Yuuka was now able to use magic, activating her artifact
immediately. As long as she had one in hand, she could call any
of the knives she threw back.
Even if it was not a particularly strong ability, being able to pull
back her weapons was a great ability.
Yuuko attacked the knives restraining Taeko and Nana.
In the meanwhile, Atsushi freed Noboru and Akito.
「Suzu! Barrier! Defend them!」
Ryuutarou's angry voice called out to the barrier master while he
and Jugo, as well as Yuuka, Atsushi, and Kousuke, freed the
students one after another.
The students who always stayed behind were crouching in fright,
even if they were freed. Because it was clear they would not
be a problem, the knights and soldiers did not bother
restraining them.
For that reason, he wanted Suzu to be freed to put a barrier on
them to keep them safe...
And when Suzu was called,
「Ah, eh?」
Her eyes were not focused, she simply stood there.
「Suzu!」
「Ah, s, sorry.」
The usually cheerful Suzu barely responded to Ryuutarou; it was
clear she was in no state to fight.
In her mind, Suzu was hearing Eri's words of grudge again and
again. Grabbing Suzu, Ryuutarou threw her with the other
classmates.
Since most of the students were unable to fight properly, Juugo,
Atsushi, and Yuuka remained with them to defend.
Even so, they would be encircled. Because of this, Juugo, Atsushi,
and Yuuko stood at the front of the others while Ryuutarou
joined to guard their back.
It was a fight to defend their friends.
It was a desperate situation where they had to constantly fight
the overwhelming number of puppets. It was impossible to tell
how many there were.
「Damn it!」
「Calm down, Sakagami!」
Juugo raised his voice to Ryuutarou who was unable to calm
himself. The two were literally meat shields. They were a
defensive wall that allowed Yuuka's group to attack.
As such, Ryuutarou could not jump out.
Even when he looked at Kaori who suffered from a fatal injury, he
could not move.
「Move it, get out of the way! Kaori!」
Shizuku also tried to run to Kaori with tears in her eyes. However,
the puppets attacked in waves, stopping her. Even with her
sword, with her mind in disarray, she could not defeat her
enemy, only causing her to grow more hasty.
At that time, Kouki finally broke out of his encirclement.
Kouki glared at Eri and Hiyama while attacking, a torrent of light
surrounding his body.
「Eri, Hiyama!」
「Whoa, that's far enough, Kouki-kun.」
Eri pulled out her joker. It was the worst card and one of Kouki's
greatest weak points.
Eri had a trump card to take advantage of.
His Holy Sword stopped as she predicted.
Kouki trembled as he called the name of her trump card.
「N, no way... Meld-san... too...」
Meld Loggins, the Knight Commander, stood before Kouki who
had stopped waving his sword about.
「... Kouki... why, are you turning your sword against me... I did
not teach you this...」
「Wha... Meld-san... I,」
「Kouki! Don't listen to him! It's too late for him!」
Shizuku scolded Kouki, causing him to return to normal.
Meld had approached, sword in hand, but Kouki managed to
block it.
With the impact hitting the Holy Sword, Kouki was pushed back
for a moment. It seemed the limiter in his brain had returned
seeing the strongest knight in the Kingdom.
「... Meld-san... I'm sorry!」
Kouki apologized while as he brandished the Holy Sword. He
attacked, but Meld had barely been able to surpass Kouki in
his “Supreme Dominance” state.
Because he saw Meld, Kouki recalled his avoidance of murder and
his sword grew dull.
Still, he would not be able to win like this, so he thrust his blade at
Meld with full strength, knocking his sword to the ground.
Kouki closed their distance in an instant and aimed the Holy
Sword at Meld's neck.
However, immediately before the Holy Sword cut through Meld's
neck,
「Help me... Kouki.」
「!?」
Meld's words caused Kouki to stop.
Even if he thought it impossible, Meld may have been
manipulated and may have still been alive. He could still be
saved. Kouki could not throw away this desire.
That was Kouki's weakness.
It was his oddity. Help if you want, kill if you want. Though only
two choices were possible, he needed a clear resolution. Kouki
lacked this.
Based on what he had been told, he had a tendency to interpret
things to his convenience. He did not typically doubt his
righteousness. For this reason, he hesitated when it was most
important.
Meld kicked the handle of the sword up and grasped his weapon
once again, crossing swords with Kouki.
However, Kouki lacked his overwhelming strength from before
and was pushed back.
「!? Gaha!」
He had managed to surpass Meld in technique, but he suddenly
lost strength and fell to his knees. He had not reached the time
limit for “Supreme Dominance.” Suddenly, he vomited blood. It
soaked into the ground, confusing Kouki further.
「Fuu~ It finally worked. It was a strong poison, but it did take a
while... as expected of you, Kouki-kun... I would have lost if I
had not brought him here.」
Kouki collapsed while desperately supporting his body. He turned
to Eri who spoke with a musical tone.
Eri put a finger to her lips which seemed glossy.
「Ku fu fu, a prince awakens a princess with a kiss. A princess
sends a prince to sleep with a kiss... That, too, would make a
good story? Well, I did prepare that for an emergency~ Don't
worry! It only make sit impossible for you to move! Kouki-kun,
I'll make sure you die by my own hand!」
「... That time...!」
Kouki heard what she said.
When Eri first kissed him, she had them drink a poison together.
Eri had likely taken an antidote beforehand. He did not think it
possible he was force fed poison by mouth.
「Eri, you, really are... Gofu」
Kouki understood the Eri he knew was nowhere to be found.
The poison spread through his body, his limbs were numb. His
body began convulsing, not responding to his will no matter
how much he struggled.
「Wait a little longer, Kouki-kun~♪」
Kouki could not move. Eri laughed in satisfaction as he looked
back at Kaori.
She was running out of time to use “Soul Bind.”
Hiyama looked at Eri angrily.
Kaori was dead and was still being disgraced. Kouki and Shizuku
were furious as they tried to stop the two desperately.
However, Eri simply placed her hand over Kaori.
She began chanting.
Beyond the wall of puppet soldiers, Ryuutarou, Jugo, Yuuka,
Atsushi, Kousuke, and Kentaro, as well as the students who did
not fight were screaming in anger, but the spell did not stop.
In only a matter of seconds, Kaori would become a doll who
would be obedient to Hiyama.
It would only be trampling on her dignity like a weed.
Shizuku and Kouki were filled with rage, Hiyama laughed loudly,
and Eri smirked.
Then---
A voice plainly spoke in the battlefield filled with betrayal and
despair.
「... What the hell is going on?」
There stood a boy with white hair and an eye patch. The voice
belonged to Nagumo Hajime.
Seeing Hajime, everyone stopped moving, as if time had frozen.
Hajime was giving off a violent pressure.
Normally, the puppets would not stop moving due to only
Hajime's pressure; however, Eri, the puppet master,
instinctively wanted to hide behind someone strong, so the
puppets quickly took action to defend her.
Hajime did not care that hundreds of eyes were looking at him
closely and simply observed the surroundings.
A large number of knights and soldiers had attacked his
classmates.
His classmates were surrounded.
Kouki was on the ground vomiting blood in front of Meld.
Shizuku was on her hands and knees, supporting her body with
 her black sword.
Eri and Hiyama stood frozen.
And Kaori had a sword stuck in her back as she was held in
Hiyama's arms, the pulse of life gone---
「Hii!」
Who exactly screamed?
A horrifying sensation eroded the world in an instant.
Like insects crawling throughout the body, like an eagle directly
pulling out the heart, it sent shivers down one's spine --- it was
a premonition of imminent death.
Their blood had frozen.
Their body temperature fell as the dense killing intent gave them
all an illusion of death.
In that moment, Hajime disappeared.
Hajime had moved at a speed beyond recognition and appeared
beside Kaori.
His very motion seemed to blow Hiyama away into a wall which
collapsed.
Hajime stepped on Hiyama's chest and struck him hard while
holding back so Kaori would not be wounded.
「Ge, Gihyu --- Ngii!」
Hiyama was partly buried in the wall, his body convulsing showing
he was barely alive.
Normally, Hiyama's body would simply split apart. Still, thanks to
Hajime holding back, only his bones were broken and many of
his organs were injured.
He fainted when he hit the wall, only to soon awaken in a hellish
pain.
Hajime held Kaori in his right hand and gently brushed her hair.
He called out to his comrade in a loud voice.
「Tio! Please!」
「... Yes, leave it to me!」
「Sh, Shirasaki-san!」
Tio regained presence of mind to Hajime's call and quickly
approached with Aiko by her side.
Tio took Kaori from Hajime and began quickly chanting.
「A ha ha, it's useless. She's already dead. There was no need to
come here... No, perhaps you noticed when you arrived... Yes,
I was going to revive Kaori with my magic so Hiyama could use
her. Should I give her to you instead, Nagumo? If you don't
intend to be my enemy, I can revive Kaori with my magic.
Though it might not be real, she's still beautiful, isn't she? It's
better than her rotting, right?」
Though Eri smiled radiantly, she was sweating quite a lot.
Aiko looked at her from the side in astonishment. Hajime quickly
stood up.
Eri, knowing Hajime's strength, clicked her tongue and stressed
that Kaori would rot if left as is.
Still, a powerful blood lust overflowed from Hajime, and he was
not shaken a bit. He slowly approached Eri, his face like a Noh
mask.
「Wait, wait, Nagumo. Look, can't you see all the people here?
Don't they look alive? It's too bad that she's died, but I can
make everyone like them. And I can make Kaori more to your
liking, right? If you want that, I'm definitely necessary---」
At that time, a shadow appeared behind Hajime.
A sharp spear thrust was aimed at Hajime, the movements far
different from the other knights.
The shadow belonged to Kondo Reiichi.
A while ago, Eri had murdered him and turned him into a puppet.
Now he was simply a spear user to be pitied.
Even if he was a puppet, he still had the strength of a cheat from
another world. The spear was used by Kondo, the “Spearman,”
and it was aimed at Hajime's heart while clad in a spiral of
wind.
「A ha ha, carelessness is your greatest enemy~ Or perhaps it's
anger---」
Eri's expression changed radically as she smiled, but Hajime
continued walking as if he had not felt pain at all. Eri's face
froze.
She noticed what happened; a mass of bright crimson magic had
been compressed to the size of a 10 yen coin, and it had
blocked the spear thrust. It was the derivation skill of
“Strength of Gold,” [+Focused Strengthening.]
Hajime silently bent the elbow of his left arm and fired a shotgun
without hesitation.
Kondo received the blow from close range in the face, and his
head was blown away.
The sound of flesh and blood falling to the ground sounded.
「... Kill him.」
Eri became more anxious. Meld appeared before Hajime.
She knew from their encounter in 【Orcus Great Labyrinth】that
he was closer to Meld than Kouki, as Hajime had saved Meld
with a certain medicine.
She would take the chance he was shaken as she had with Kouki.
She used the puppet soldiers while vigilantly searching for that
very opening.
Meld rushed forward like a gale.
He swung his sword, his body's natural limiter now gone. This
blow would cut a normal shield in half.
But Hajime stopped it with the fingertips of his artificial arm.
「... You too. How regrettable.」
Eri, as well as Kouki and the class, were dumbfounded as they
watched Hajime look at Meld while toying with his sword
while he quietly muttered to himself.
Perhaps there was some kind of miracle at that time.
「... Ah... please...」
He was not begging for mercy. Even if the others nearby thought
this, Hajime knew. These were the true words of Meld Loggins.
He had only one thing to say.
「Leave it to me.」
Don, a single explosion.
A shot fired from his artificial arm, making Meld bloom red like a
flower. His lips seemed to loosen, as if relieved, when this
happened.
But neither friend nor foe had time to think about this.
Hajime took out his monstrous weapon which fired railguns at 12
000 shots per minute --- Gatling Railgun “Metzelei” appeared
from space, bright crimson sparks spreading about as a
peculiar rotating sound seemed to scream.
Those who knew of its terror – Yuuka and Atsushi, turned pale as
they screamed.
「Everyone! Get down!」
「Holy shit, get down!」
Ryuutaraou and Juugo as well as those in the vanguard reacted to
the warning immediately and dragged down those still
standing.
Then, the incarnation of destruction let loose its roar.
He had used this weapon before to crush the knight golems
manipulated by one of the Liberators and the large crowd of
demons, sinking them in a sea of blood. It had also countered
the death-bringing attack of “God's Apostle.”
Nothing here would withstand it for even a moment.
The bullets accelerated by electromagnetism broke through any
obstacles, crushing and blowing the training ground walls like
paper.
The puppets danced in a bloody manner like pieces of flesh.
Without distinction of strength or physique, they were turned
into lumps of meat.
Before long, the roars of Metzelei stopped, and the plaza turned
silent again, only the sounds of footsteps echoing throughout.
No one could move. Only one person advanced; naturally, that
was Hajime.
Like everyone else, Eri had her head lowered, waiting for the
storm of death to pass.
Eri looked up slowly to see Hajime look down on her as if she
were a stone on the side of the road.
He did not even have Metzelei in his hand.
Eri could say nothing. She could only stare in blank surprise as
Hajime slowly opened his mouth.
「So?」
「...」
Hajime did not know what Eri did. However, he understood that
she was an enemy.
He would kill her mercilessly once everything ended.
However, Eri had put her hand out on someone she should never
touch. It was insufficient to simply kill her. He would give her
“despair” before she died...
That was why Hajime questioned her.
What will you do next? Can you do anything?
Eri understood his thoughts and grit her teeth. Her lips were cut
and blood dripped down her face. She had been the master of
this place, she should have had an overwhelming advantage. It
was overturned in an instant by the incarnation of fear.
「You---」
Eri tried to curse, but a muzzle was held to her head.
Eri swallowed her words.
「... I don't need to hear about your trivial emotions or motives. If
you have nothing left, then--- die.」
Hajime's finger was on the trigger. She realized Hajime had no
hesitation in killing a classmate. It was pointless to make Kaori
into a puppet for him.
--- I'm dead.
That thought ran through Eri's head.
However, Eri's luck was not yet exhausted.
The moment Eri's head was about to be shot through, a fire bullet
came flying at Hajime. It had a large amount of power, but it
was not enough to reach Hajime.
He turned the muzzle of Donner to the fire bullet and accurately
shot through the magic core.
「Naaaguuuumoooooo!!」
Hiyama appeared, covered in wounds, using a tone that made
one doubt whether he was speaking in any human language.
He had a sword in hand and was vomiting large amounts of blood.
His right arm hung as his shoulder was broken.
He only had an ugly expression.
「... You're annoying.」
Hajime kicked Hiyama in annoyance. Dogon! Hiyama's body
floated in the air.
Then Hajime raised his foot to the heavens and lowered it,
dropping his heel like an axe cutting firewood.
He caught Hiyama's head and threw it to the ground mercilessly.
The ground cracked from the impact and blood scattered
about.
Hiyama bounced up high in the air, already unconscious.
Hiyama was clearly near death; however, it was Hajime Quality
not to stop there as he kicked Hiyama down again.
Perhaps he was holding back, as Hiyama had regained
consciousness before being hit again.
Hajime gripped Hiyama's neck in mid air and lifted him up.
Hiyama raged about, but his attacks were not strong enough
against Hajime's inhuman strength.
「Youuu! I won't hand her over, Kaori is mine!」
His grudge and hatred overflowed. He was no longer human, he
was just an existence who had fallen far. Any ordinary person
who saw him now would surely avert their gaze and run away.
However, Hajime did not succumb to such a cursed existence.
Rather, he looked at Hiyama in pity.
「Whether I exist or not, the results would be the same. If not,
you would have already obtained something.」
「It's your fault!」
「Don't blame it on others. The reason you've fallen so low is your
own fault. Whether it was in Japan or here, you were always a
loser. It's not “someone's” fault, but “your own.” You criticized
others in your dissatisfaction, you never shouldered anything
yourself... You truly are a loser.」
「I'll kill you! Definitely, I'll definitely kill you!」
Hiyama was further enraged by Hajime's words.
Hajime looked at him and looked elsewhere, noticing something
there. He saw many demons who had invaded the Capital
 approaching.
Hajime looked back at Hiyama calmly and threw him into the air.
He attacked Hiyama with his artificial arm as he fell in
accordance to gravity. The impact caused Hiyama to spin
around like a top.
「We'll see if you can survive this. Well, it might be impossible for
you.」
Hajime drove a kick into Hiyama.
He was blown outside the plaza.
Hajime did not kill Hiyama quickly.
He unconsciously avoided the vitals and beat him up in revenge
for injuring Kaori rather than taking his revenge for forcing
Hajime to fall into the Abyss.
Though he did not know if Hiyama was still conscious, he could
easily have died. He made use of Hiyama and kicked him into
the crowd of demons.
However, Hiyama's actions had delayed Eri's own death. Eri did
not run away. Rather, an aurora attacked Hajime.
「Tch...」
Hajime jumped back while clicking his tongue, shooting Donner at
the source of the aurora. As three explosions sounded, the
dragon firing the aurora was forced to move.
With that, the aurora changed directions, coming dangerously
close to Kouki.
Eri somehow managed to dodge the attack. Eri wanted to avoid
dying by friendly fire.
Before long, the aurora weakened, and Freid got off a white
dragon he rode like a horse.
「... This has gone on far enough, boy with white hair. Behave
yourself if you do not wish to lose your important
countrymen.」
Apparently, Freid had thought Hajime was fighting for Kouki and
the Kingdom.
Looking around, demons had quickly surrounded them. They
were aiming at Ryuutarou, Shizuku, and the students, as well
 as Tio and Aiko.
If they fought seriously, it was likely the Devils would receive
severe damage, so they tried to make use of hostages. Hajime
did not know it, but Freid was using this as a last resort
knowing he was not a suitable opponent for Hajime.
Though he had been greatly injured in his fight with Yue, he had
been completely healed thanks to the white crow.
At that time, Tio, who was treating Kaori, called out to Hajime.
「Master! I managed to anchor her! But, any longer... it will take
time... I need Yue's cooperation, too. I cannot keep this up
forever!」
Hajime nodded and looked back at Tio.
The students were confused, not understanding what was going
on.
However, Freid, who could also use Age of Gods Magic, guessed
what was going on. He opened his eyes wide seeing the magic
Tio was using.
「Hoo, so that's another Age of Gods Magic... Could it be
【Shinzan?】 Then tell me where it is, or will you oppowah!?」
Freid threatened Hajime. The moment he tried to find the
location of 【Shinzan,】the Great Labyrinth he was seeking,
Hajime fired Donner.
Though Freid was safe thanks to the barrier formed by the turtle
demon, the barrier had been partially broken.
The surrounding demons closed in.
「What is this meaning of this? Do you not care for your
brethren? The more you resist, the more the people of the
Capital will be harmed. Or are you so foolish that you cannot
even understand that? One-hundred thousand demons stand
outside these walls, and one million can approach quickly
through a gate. No matter how strong you are, to fight while
defending everything is...」
Hajime coldly glanced at Freid then looked outside --- a large
army lay beyond the Capital.
He took out an Induction Stone the size of his fist from “Treasure
 Warehouse.” Freid looked suspiciously at Hajime, then at the
Induction Stone. It was completely different from the ring
Hajime used to manipulate the cross bits.
「Tch, what do you think you are doing!」
「Shut it and watch.」
Freid had a bad premonition and had auroras aimed at Hajime.
However, all attacks were held back with Donner. As a result,
Hajime could take action.

--- A light of damnation fell from the heavens.

A pillar of light connected the heavens and the earth.

It ignored race, gender, ranking, and simply brought forth a
merciless destruction. The night was shattered as a light as
bright as the day appeared.
---- Kyuwaaaaaaaa!!
The pillar of light emitted a unique sound as it razed the earth. It
was 50 meters in diameter. Demon and Devil alike evaporated
beneath the light in an instant. The violent impact scattered
destruction even beyond the pillar.
When Hajime poured magic into the Induction Stone in his hand,
the pillar of light moved, grilling the demons and devils trying
to escape.
It was impossible to defend against, it was impossible to evade.
As long as one could not use Space Magic like Freid, it was
impossible to escape. The demons and devils by the wall of the
city ran forward in panic.
The pillar of light violated the large army while moving in a zig-zag
pattern. It eventually disappeared as it closed in on the city
walls.
The ground was scorched, white smoke rose to the sky. A large
crater and a large scar had been carved into the earth.
The demons and devils who had invaded the Capital could do
nothing but stare in blank surprise as their comrades, the
massive army, had vanished in an instant.
All thought stopped. Freid and Eri, as well as Shizuku and the
students could do nothing.
「The foolish one is you. When did I ever say I was an ally to the
Kingdom? That's just your selfish thought. Don't just decide on
your own what I fight for. However, if you obstruct me, then I
will play all my hands now. Well, I don't care, even if I have to
face one million of you. I'll overlook it this time. Get the hell
out of here. You can command the army in your position, can't
you?」
Freid's eyes were dyed in indignation as he had just seen his
brethren exterminated instantly.
Even if he could use a gate to bring the rest here, he did not know
what the light Hajime used was. It might come down two,
three times. He needed to avoid that at all costs.
Hajime, too, was frustrated to let him go, but he needed to treat
Kaori as quickly as possible. As time passed, so, too, would her
chances of survival, and this would be his first attempt with
the magic.
In short, he had no practice. Also, the previous attack was a
prototype weapon and had broken. Without that, it would
take time to kill Freid and all one million of his demons. It
would be faster for him to have Freid pull the army back.
Freid did not know this, though, and bit his lip. Blood dripped
from his clasped fist as he desired to throw it in his rage.
However, he could not further increase the sacrifices of the
Devils. He opened a gate while yelling out his grudge.
「I shall return this debt... In God's name, I will destroy you
without fail!」
Freid turned about and urged Eri to get on the white dragon with
his gaze.
Eri looked at Kouki, still holding himself due to being weakened by
the poison, an insane obsession in her eyes. No matter what,
she would get Kouki.
It was an oath to obtain Kouki by any means, a clear declaration
of war, even without words.
The moment Freid and Eri mounted the white dragon, they
disappeared into the gate. Three lights appeared in the sky
and exploded. It was the order to withdraw.
At the same time, Yue and Shea jumped down from the sky.
「... Mm, Hajime. Where is the ugly man?」
「Hajime-san! Where is that guy?」
The two wanted to know where Freid went. The reason they did
not ask about the pillar of light was because they knew Hajime
was the cause.
However, now was not the time to care about such matters.
Hajime alerted Shea and Yue of Kaori's death. The two looked in
astonishment; however, they recovered instantly seeing
Hajime's eyes.
Hajime looked at Yue. Yue understood her role and said, 「... Mm,
leave it to me.」
They turned around and rushed over to Tio. Hajime held Kaori like
a princess and started to leave the plaza.
At that time, Shizuku called out to Hajime with a desperate
expression.
「Nagumo-kun! Kaori, Kaori is... I... What should I...」
Shizuku had looked more exhausted than he had ever seen her
before. She had no spirit, rather, she was only suffering.
During the battle, her mind had been supported by the tension;
however, once the fight ended, she was only afflicted by the
unbearable pain of her best friend's death.
Hajime hesitated slightly as he looked at Shizuku and shook his
head.
「Shea, Kaori's yours. Tio, please guide them. I'll follow after.」
「Kaori-san... will be fine.」
「Of course. Everyone, accompany me to the top of the
mountain.」
Shea took Kaori from Hajime and gently held her.
Yue, seeing Shizuku and the rest, quickly left the training grounds,
following after Tio.
While everyone was still frozen from his earlier anger, Hajime
 knelt down by Shizuku whose head was bowed down.
He placed his hands on Shizuku's cheeks, forcing her to look up.
He matched her gaze from the front.
「Yaegashi, don't break. Wait for us, believe in us. I'll let you see
her again.」
「Nagumo-kun...」
Shizuku's hollow eyes regained their light. Hajime smiled and told
a joke.
「Who else but you, Yaegashi, can shoulder that bothersome
thing? What would I do if Kaori saw you broken...? Will she
forgive me? Sorry, Yaegashi, I'm not someone who loves
difficulties like you.」
「... Who loves difficulties, idiot... I'll believe in you... is that
fine?」
Hajime smiled and nodded earnestly.
She gazed into his eyes. Shizuku could tell Hajime was serious. He
was seriously going to try to do something to Kaori who had
already died. His eyes were strong. Shizuku's frozen mind
melted.
Strength returned to Shizuku's eyes, and she nodded and smiled
in return. She was determined to believe in Hajime.
Hajime, confirming the danger of Shizuku mentally breaking had
passed, pulled out a test tube from “Treasure Warehouse” and
placed it in Shizuku's hand.
「This is...」
「There's one more childhood friend who's in a poor state. Let
him drink it.」
Shizuku looked back at Kouki, startled by Hajime's words.
Perhaps with Eri gone, their tension was cut. Kouki had fainted
and was obviously severely weakened.
Shizuku recalled the Holy Water Hajime handed her; it had saved
Meld from the brink of death.
「... Thank you, Nagumo-kun.」
Shizuku grasped it tightly, her eyes, on the verge of tears, staring
straight at Hajime as she gave her thanks.
Hajime received her words and nodded before standing and
turning around.
And then he ran like the wind after the girls.
After Hajime left the plaza, Kouki was given the Holy Water and
quickly recovered.
The situation quickly recovered once Liliana awoke from having
fainted where she guided others to transport the injured as
well as investigate the situation.
Though they learned this through investigations later, there was a
large magic formation with a huge magic stone in the suburbs
of the Capital somewhere under ground. It was a secret space
Freid used for teleporting the troops.
Furthermore, the leaders of the country, including the king, were
murdered by Eri's puppets.
Currently, the throne of 【Hairihi Kingdom】was vacant. Until the
confusion passed, Liliana and Queen Luluaria who survived
would take the lead to revive the Capital.
Once everything settled down, Prince Randell, who had also
survived, would ascend to the throne.
The confusion accelerated with no news coming from the Saint
Church.
Anxiety and distrust spread throughout the Capital toward the
Saint Church as they had not shown up during the war.
In all actuality, everyone related to the main temple of the Church
had been killed in an explosion. The people grew interested in
the white haired boy heard in a number of stories.
Of course, measures had already been taken in regards to this as
Liliana received one-way communications from Hajime who
was currently up on 【Shinzan.】Aiko seemed ready to tear
her hair out in frustration hearing all the information without a
means of correspondence.
Naturally, there were those who doubted the Church who still
remained up on 【Shinzan.】
There were many who wanted to go up to confirm their presence;
however, with the revival of the Capital underway, work
 needed to be done in the city, and no one could climb the
8000 meters.
Since Hajime had stopped the lift itself, there was no other means
to reach the main temple other than climbing the mountain.
A short distance from the plaza, Hiyama's corpse was found.
His body was in tatters as he had been made a toy of by Hajime.
He was blown into an open space and was attacked by
demons.
He had resisted while he was being eaten alive.
His left arm was mostly gone, torn from his body, and there were
signs that he ran away desperately. Judging by the blood, he
had faced a terrible death.
In that way, 5 days passed, and the severity of their friend's
betrayal and the attack of the Devils revealed many things.
Though the class lended their hand in the revival, they were
still nervous with Hajime's group still not there.
Though the members of the vanguard and Aiko-chan's Escort
knew of Hajime's abilities, they had never thought he could
use the overwhelming power of that pillar of light which
annihilated a large army. Once again, they felt isolated by this
large gap in power.
Those who had remained in the Capital before and only later
learned of Hajime's survival once again realized how different
Hajime was.
They could not help but find an interest in Hajime who had taken
their friend, Kaori, with him.
Shizuku was particularly remarkable.
She did what needed to be done, and, though her eyes could be
seen gazing at the distance many times, it was clear to
everyone that she was thinking about Kaori who should have
died before her. No one knew how to approach her.
From the conversation Hajime held with Shizuku, Kaori would
return in one way or another. It was impossible to revive the
dead, so she was obviously skeptical. Still, his words were not
simply words of comfort.
She suspected that, like Eri, he might use something to turn Kaori
into a doll. In that case, Shizuku would be further damaged.
Kouki, especially, was cautious of Hajime.
He, too, could do nothing except be saved by Hajime and was
depressed. He saw the difference between himself and Hajime
and Kaori (Kouki recognized this clearly.) It was clear he was
not fond of Hajime.
It was the emotion of “envy,” though Kouki himself was not
aware of it. Even if he did notice, he would not easily admit to
it. Would he advance while recognizing it, or would he
interpret things to his convenience once again... that
depended on Kouki himself.
Kouki and Shizuku hardly looked bright in this situation, especially
since Ryuutarou was a muscle brain and was not reliable.
At such times, Suzu would typically show her characteristics as a
mood maker, but the person in question was obviously
depressed.
She had a miserable smile at times. She had spent many years
with the person she felt was her best friend, but she was only
seen as a convenient tool.
With the leader like this and the situation being where the
principle members did not have any room to spare, the entire
class had a depressed atmosphere.
Kondo's death and Hiyama's betrayal, for Nakano nand Saito who
always stayed back, they seemed to distrust others even more,
staying in their rooms more than they had in the past.
Eri's obsession and insanity caused deeper wounds in the
students than what anyone expected.
Still, there was no one who suffered so seriously that they gave
themselves up in despair, and while there were many students
who worked on the revival of the capital as a forms of
escapism, Aiko and Yuuka's group simply focused their efforts.
Aiko was worried about Kaori and wanted to help, but she
understood this was the time for Yue and Tio to do something.
With students still wounded down on ground level, she remained,
 unwilling to neglect them.
She was a teacher who the students put their confidence in from
the start. Staying with them was the correct choice.
Furthermore, because Yuuka was something of a delinquent
herself in the past, she understood their feelings. The mental
care provided by the Ai-chan guard was a support for those
who typically stayed away from the battle.
As for what happened at the top of 【Shinzan,】she did not speak
of it to any student or person from the palace...
She had stubbornly sealed her lips.
Of course, she knew the situation of the main temple of the Saint
Church, but she did not feel it appropriate to speak at this
time.
Her purpose was to not get in Hajime's way, but she also became
heavy-hearted recalling what she had done.
Though the results were unexpected, it was true that she was
prepared for this.
She intended to confess everything when Hajime returned.
… Police officer, it was me.
Though Aiko behaved brightly, she was nervous.
Though I was the one who assisted Tio, I have the power to
destroy the temple, if the students learn that I helped bomb
Ishtar, what will they think?
She steeled herself because she did not want her precious
students to fight. Though she did not regret this in particular, it
did not change that murder was murder.
Surely she would do so again, or else she would not be a teacher.
As for David and the Temple Knights who were her bodyguard,
they were safe.
Before, they had demanded they be able to meet Aiko numerous
times, but they were not allowed to by those at the top, and
eventually they were confined. They had disappeared during
the invasion itself.
It was unknown why they managed to avoid becoming puppets.
Though thinking Nointo did nothing to Aiko so she could be used
 as God's pawn later on, it was confirmed there was no magic
set on her.
Regardless, everyone was working hard to fix the capital as a
means to escape.
While everyone was currently at peace of mind, in an area near
the destroyed training grounds, an exam was being held to
decide the next commander as well as reorganizing the troops.
As for the new leader, it was Kuzeri Reil. She was the former
leader of Liliana's guard.
The vice-commander was Neat Comold. He was the former 3 rd
division commander.
At the edge of the training ground, Kouki wiped away his sweat
having served as the knights' partner during the selection
exam.
「Good work, Kouki-san.」
Liliana gave words of appreciation.
When Kouki looked at her, he saw Liliana smiling.
「No, this is the least I can do... Lily, you've hardly been sleeping
lately, haven't you? You really have been working hard.」
Kouki smiled wryly. Liliana, too, smiled bitterly.
The two had not slept much recently. Still, their reasons for doing
so were different.
「It is not the time to sleep... I must attend to the casualties and
the bereaved families, many collapsed buildings must be
rebuilt, we need to confirm who has gone missing as well as
repair the outer wall and Great Barrier. Reports have been
flowing in from each district. Reorganization... is serious but
necessary. It cannot be helped. Mother is also working hard,
so I am fine... The ones most in pain are those who lost their
families...」
「Even if you say that, you, too...」
Kouki was trying to point out that King Elhid, her father, had also
been lost, but he closed his mouth and remained silent.
Lily understood Kouki's sympathy and said, 「I am fine,」her smile
transparent. They switched topic.
「How is Shizuku doing?」
「... She hasn't changed. Shizuku is the same as always, though
she looks upward a lot.」
While saying so, Kouki glanced at Shizuku who was talking to
Kuzeri in the center of the training grounds.
The two had become friends through Liliana, and they were
discussing something fairly intimately.
However, their conversation was interrupted and they looked
upward, in short, toward 【Shinzan.】They had noticed
something.
「So... she is waiting for them.」
「That's right... Honestly, I can't trust Nagumo much... I'd rather
Shizuku not meet him...」
Liliana glanced at Kouki in surprise. His expression was
complicated.
It was not as simple as his words said. Envy, suspicion, fear, pride,
gratitude, hatred, anxiety, all emotions were mixed together; it
was difficult to express them.
Liliana found no words to say to Kouki. Rather, she looked up at
the summit of 【Shinzan】where Hajime and the others likely
were.
The sky was clear and bright, it was difficult to imagine they
nearly faced destruction just days ago. Liliana stared blankly at
the sky.
At that time, she noticed many dark points in the sky.
Though Liliana squinted suspiciously, she noticed the points
growing closer. She panicked to Kouki, understanding that
something was dropping.
「K, Kouki-san! There! Something is falling!」
「Eh? What are you talking... Everyone! Be careful! Something's
coming!」
Though Kouki was surprised by Liliana's attitude, he confirmed
what she saw and gave a warning. 「Enemy attack!」he
warned with an impatient expression.
Shizuku and those down below began panicking; they all tried to
 leave the grounds.
Zudooon!! The ground quaked. What appeared amid the dust
storm was... Hajime, Yue, Shea, and Tio.
「Nagumo-kun!」
Shizuku ran out first.
She had waited and believed, as she had promised Hajime.
Even so, she grew anxious seeing as Kaori had not accompanied
Hajime.
「Yo, Yaegashi. Looks like you're living well.」
「Nagumo-kun... Where's Kaori? Why isn't Kaori here?」
Shizuku felt a load taken off her mind hearing Hajime's joke. Still,
Kaori was not here. Was it impossible to revive her after all?
She was uneasy, her voice trembling.
Hajime, on the other hand, had an extremely ambiguous
expression.
「Ah~ She'll be coming soon? It's just... she might have changed a
bit... I'd be troubled if you blamed me, yeah, don't get angry,
it's not my fault this time, okay?」
「Eh? Wait, what? What are you talking about? What's with those
scary words? What do you mean? What did you do to Kaori?
According to the circumstances, with this black sword you gave
me...」
Toward Hajime's words which fueled her unease even further,
Shizuku moved her hand to the black sword at her waist.
Hajime quickly approached and kept Shizuku in check. Suddenly,
they heard a scream in the sky.
「Kyaaaaa!! Hajime-kun~! Catch me~!!」
Everyone looked up and saw an argent shadow falling at a
tremendous speed.
Shizuku's kinetic vision was excellent; the woman had silver hair
and blue eyes and was a beauty comparable to the work of an
artist who left his name in history. Despite her cool
appearance, tears appeared in the woman's eyes, giving an
oddly miserable expression.
The woman with silver hair and blue eyes was heading straight
 toward Hajime. Trust that he would catch her was in her eyes.
But it was Hajime Quality to betray such expectations.
He jumped back immediately before the collision. The woman's
eyes turned into small dots as he averted his gaze before she
crashed.
「Did she die?」Everyone said, though Hajime did not seem to
care.
Aiko and Liliana shuddered.
「Uu,」a beautiful woman with silver hair and blue eyes groaned
in dissatisfaction as the dust storm cleared up.
Aiko and Liliana screamed a warning.
「Wh, why are you...」
「Everyone! Get away! She kidnapped Aiko-san, she's a dangerous
person who helped Eri!」
To these words, Kouki and the other students, as well as Kuzeri
and the knights, brought their weapons forward.
Shizuku also quickly drew her sword, preparing to attack the
enemy who was one of the causes Kaori had to die.
The woman was Nointo, and she easily got up from the crash
landing.
She looked reproachfully at Hajime for a moment. Her tone and
expression was no longer mechanical. She called out to
Shizuku in a panic.
「W, wait! Shizuku-chan! It's me, me!」
「?」
Shizuku was confused when she heard her name. This was their
first time meeting, after all.
Shizuku looked suspiciously at the woman she met for the first
time desperately calling her name.
「This really is fraud...」Hajime muttered to the side, but the
woman looked away from his gaze.
Despite Aiko and Liliana's warning, the two seemed quite
intimate.
And though the appearance and voice were different, the
atmosphere and nonchalant gesture was identical to that of
 Shizuku's best friend.
Shizuku slowly put her sword away and blankly muttered her best
friend's name.
「... Kao, ri? Kaori... right?」
Glad that Shizuku finally recognized her, the woman with silver
hair and blue eyes lit up in joy. She responded with a lively
voice.
「Yeah! It's me! Shizuku-chan's best friend, Shirasaki Kaori.
Though I look different... I'm definitely alive!」
「... Kaori... Kaori!」
Shizuku stood in stunned surprise for a moment.
Though she did not understand how the situation came to be,
her best friend continued to live and was present before her.
She clung to Kaori who was in this new body, tears in her eyes.
Kaori tightly embraced Shizuku and quietly, gently whispered to
her.
「I'm sorry for worrying you, okay? I'm fine, I'm fine.」
「Higu, Gusu, thank God. Thank God~」
They had their faces buried inside each others' neck while
confirming each others' existence.
Everyone was filled with a warmth as their crying could be heard
in the training grounds.

「So, what's going on?」

Her eyes red and swollen from crying, Shizuku, blushing in
embarrassment, aggressively demanded to be told what
happened.
They had moved from the plaza to a large room which Kouki and
the students typically used as a dining hall.
For all of them, while the person seemed to be Kaori, her body
was that of Nointo's; Liliana had urged them to change places
to talk.
As such, only Shizuku, Aiko, Liliana, and the students were
present.
「Right... to put it simply, Kaori's spirit is being protected with
magic. And Nointo's remains? Remains? Well, either way, her
body was restored.」
「I see... I don't understand at all.」
Shizuku glared at Hajime for his too-concise explanation.
Obviously, Hajime was thinking 「You asked me to explain, huh?」
Danger lurked beneath his thoughts, so Kaori continued
explaining the situation while surprised by Hajime who had
zero motivation.
「Um, Shizuku-chan, you know that the magic we use is a
deteriorated version off what we call Age of Gods Magic,
right?」
「... Yes, I heard that when studying the history of this world a
little. During the creation of the world, it was possible to act
on more fundamental concepts, unlike the current magic
which uses attributes... Wait. So it's that? Nagumo-kun and all
of you have Age of Gods Magic, and... one of them interferes
with a person's soul? So he protected Kaori's dying spirit and
established it in another body?」
「Yeah! As expected of you, Shizuku-chan.」
Kaori stuck out her chest in pride for some reason. In truth,
Shizuku had always been fast. Though Hajime understood that
before, he could not help but secretly feel admiration.
「But why this body? Was yours no good? I thought you could
manage by using Recovery Magic to close the wounds...」
「Ahh, actually, Kaori's body was recovered perfectly. Her spirit
can return to it.」
Spirit Magic could be used to achieve pseudo-agelessness by
fixing the soul in another body.
“Fixing” referred to a magic which prevented a dying soul from
dispersing and deteriorating. From the start, this was what Tio
had done. It was only thanks to their good fortune that Tio was
able to delay Kaori's death by a few minutes.
“Fixing” was literally that. A spirit which was fixed would establish
a link to the body, whether organic or inorganic.
She would only die again if she established herself in an
unsuitable body which was already on the verge of death;
however, she could be revived if placed in a healthy body. She
could also become ageless and deathless by fixing herself to a
golem like Mildy Raisen had done.
Of course, this was not so simple a magic that it could easily be
utilized without practice.
They had only been successful because Yue was born with a
natural talent for all magics as well as Tio's own aid.
Still, it took them a full 5 days.
For Yue and Shea, it was relatively easy to get Spirit Magic. The
reason being was that they originally had no faith whatsoever
in “Eht,” so they cleared the condition quickly.
As for the condition of “overcoming the influence of God,” there
was indeed a labyrinth where they had to fight against those
who were brainwashed, something utilized by the church to
train its members mentality (it was something like a virtual
reality extremely close to reality), so they readily cleared that
as well.
「Then why... if Kaori's body is fine, why this? Something must
have happened.」
「Shizuku-chan, calm down, I'll explain everything.」
Kaori continued to speak while calming Shizuku who had leaned
forward.
From the start, Hajime tried to revive her by restoring Kaori's
wounded body with Reproduction Magic and returning Kaori's
soul to it.
However, Kaori took a stand there.
Even if she could be fixed back, she was not in the mind to.
She wanted to be fixed in a golem like Mildy Raisen which she
heard about before. If it was Hajime, he could make a strong
golem.
In 【Undersea Ruins Merjinne,】Kaori had become strongly aware
of how weak she was.
She did not want to leave Hajime's side, but she could easily be
killed.
It was frustrating, mortifying...
So she thought, “Why not throw away my body?”
Once Kaori was determined to do something, she became
unexpectedly stubborn. Though Hajime tried to persuade her
as well, she was not in the mood to listen. Hajime raised his
hands in defeat.
Reluctantly, he thought about the strongest golem he could make.
Suddenly, a light went off in his head.
「I can use that, right?」he said as he saw Nointo with her head
and her heart pierced through.
Hajime immediately collected Nointo's remains, Yue used
Reproduction Magic to heal the wounds.
Finally, they “fixed” Kaori's spirit successfully, giving her the strong
body of one of “God's Apostles.”
Unfortunately, the organ which looked like a magic core could not
be reproduced, and her supply of magic power was not
endless. Still, she seemed to be able to use the unique magic
“Decomposition.”
Apparently, Nointo's body recalled how to move in battle, though
Kaori was not yet accustomed to the body itself. Once she was
acclimated, she would be able to use abilities held by “God's
Apostle” to their fullest extent.
Because she could also directly manipulate magic now, she could
potentially rival Hajime in ability.
Kaori was happy when they successfully bound her to her new
body. The body was that of a cool beauty. Because she was
smiling with her entire face, the face of someone Hajime had
tried to kill just a while ago, and was clinging to him with all
her might, Hajime could not help but feel odd.
Though unintentional, she was hitting him a little hard, not quite
able to fully control her strength.
By the way, Kaori's true body was frozen by Yue's magic and kept
in “Treasure Warehouse.”
It was a mysterious object of a beautiful girl sleeping in a tomb of
ice. Because her degenerated cells could be restored with
Reproduction Magic, it was extremely likely she could be
returned to normal in the future.
「... I see. Haa~ Kaori, it's been a while since you did it, but it
looks like you haven't gotten over your habit of going wild at
times.」
Hearing their explanation, Shizuku placed her hand to her head,
bearing a headache.
Hajime felt like her headache was worse than when she went to
get a game in a store, only to accidentally find herself in the
adult games corner.
There was a story that when the manager had noticed her and
said 「18 years or older~」she had responded with 「It's for
my dad!」Naturally, she got a headache every time she thougt
of this.
「E he he, I'm sorry for worrying you, Shizuku-chan.」
「... It's fine, as long as you're alive...」
Shizuku smiled while Kaori looked apologetic. She corrected her
posture and bowed deeply to Hajime and the girls.
「Nagumo-kun, Yue-san, Shea-san, Tio-san. Thank you for saving
my best friend. The things I owe you keep increasing. I doubt I
will ever be able to return them... but I will not forget this
kindness for the rest of my life. If you have any need for help,
call for me. I will do everything I can.」
「... You're as cordial as always. Well, don't worry too much. We
were just helping our companion.」
Shizuku smiled wryly hearing Hajime's light response. They had
saved not just Kaori but their own lives twice.
Even so, this was due to Hajime's convenience; she could do
nothing but laugh at this.
And because his nonchalant attitude was a bit spiteful, Shizuku
pouted.
「... Then why were you worried about me, and why did you give
that medicine to Kouki?」
「Kaori would become troublesome if you broke, Yaegashi...」
「T, troublesome... that's mean, Hajime-kun.」
「Also...」he continued while Kaori berated Hajime who had
calmly and sarcastically answered Shizuku's question.
「Sensei said I would continue to have a “lonely way of life” if I
didn't do something like this. Something like that...」
「! Nagumo-kun...」
Aiko, who was silently listening to Hajime and Shizuku talk, looked
at him with wet eyes, full of emotion.
The other students admired their teacher's lesson while Hajime
became oddly haughty about it. However, Shizuku, Yue, and
the girls noticed a different kind of heat in her gaze.
「It can't be!」Kaori said. As she looked to Shizuku and the other
girls in confirmation. Shizuku looked away, up to the sky.
Atsushi ground his teeth while Yuuka looked away with a dry
smile.
Shizuku felt the delicate air and continued the conversation.
There was still much she wanted to hear.
「The other day, Sensei wanted to talk to us about something.
Does it relate to why you're gathering Age of Gods Magic?」
Hajime heard Shizuku's words and turned to Aiko.
He silently pressured Aiko to give an explanation. Aiko coughed
and explained the purpose behind Hajime's travels as well as
revealed what happened to her when she was taken to the
main temple.
After she finished speaking, Kouki spoke up first.
「What's with that? Then we're just dancing to the gods' tune?
Why didn't you tell us that earlier! You could have told us
when we met in Orcus!」
His voice was full of criticism; however, Hajime looked away as if it
were troublesome.
Kouki grew more agitated because he was ignored. He stood from
his seat, filled with hostility.
「Why don't you say anything? You should have told us earlier!」
「Wait, Kouki!」
Kouki did not hear Shizuku admonishing him and continued to
stand and glare at Hajime. Hajime simply uttered a large sigh
and glanced at Kouki as if he were troublesome.
「Would you have believed me?」
「What was that?」
「Regardless, you'd just interpret things to your convenience
again. Who would believe that the god the majority of the
populace believe in “went mad?” It would be pointless for me
to say it. Far from not believing me, you would have just
condemned me.」
「S, still, if you explained it properly...」
「Idiot, why should I purposely do that for you? Because you're a
classmate, or because I want you to help me? Sorry, don't joke
around... You think I want to deal with another Hiyama
again?」
Hajime's gaze was cool, causing the class to look away.
Still, Kouki could not agree to this and looked at Hajime harshly.
Yue, next to Hajime, wanted to tell him his attitude was not fitting
for someone that needed to be saved twice, but Kouki did not
notice her.
「But we can fight against the gods from now on...」
「Hold it, hold it, Hero (Laugh). When did I say I would fight the
gods? Don't decide things without my permission. Naturally, I'll
kill them if they attack me, but why the hell should I look for
them on my own? I'll conquer the Great Labyrinths and return
to Japan.」
Kouki's eyes opened wide.
「Wh, it can't be, you plan on leaving the people of this world
alone? If you don't do something about God, the people will
only be toyed with! How can you let this go!」
「I'm not kind enough to use my power for some strangers...」
「Why, why! You're stronger than me! You can do anything with
your strength! If you're strong, you should use it to do the
right thing!」
Kouki yelled. As always, his sense of justice was overflowing.
However, they were simply “words,” and they did not reach
Hajime. Hajime looked at Kouki as if he were nothing.
「... “Strong,” is it? It's because you're like this that you'll always
be crawling on the ground... You know, I have a clear cut intent
when it comes to using my strength. I'm not doing something
because I'm strong, I'm using my strength because I want to do
something. If someone needs to do something “because
they're strong,” then they're no different from a powerful
“magic.” Your willpower is too weak... Rather, I don't even
know why I'm talking about this with you. If you're going to
continue doing troublesome things, then leave me out of it.」
He showed Kouki he was not interested.
Kouki understood that Hajime seriously did not hate others, he
was simply uninterested.
Having the cause of his loss pointed out, Kouki shook and shut his
mouth. I have a strong will! He wanted to object, but he could
say nothing for some reason.
The others, too, realized the thought of working together with
Hajime was a fantasy and shuddered thinking about what
happened to Hiyama.
Though the enemy had been made into puppets, he did not
hesitate, even toward Meld who he was more acquainted
with, to turn them into lumps of flesh.
No one present had even given Hajime a thought before he fell to
the Abyss.
「... Then will you at least stay for a little while longer? I hope you
can remain until the defense of the Capital is in order...」
At that time, Liliana spoke.
The Capital was still engrossed in confusion. Though the magic
formation which allowed for mass teleportation was removed,
she did not want to part with Hajime's group since she was
unsure how the Devil army might attack next.
Freid seemed to be the general, and he withdrew because of
Hajime. Hajime and the girls were already the only deterrent
they knew of.
「Since I've already been finding trouble with God's Apostle, I'd
like to hurry. It took 5 days to revive Kaori. I plan on leaving
tomorrow.」
Though Liliana's shoulders drooped, she continued on because
she knew of nothing else that could hold Freid back.
「Somehow... at least that pillar of light... that is your artifact,
correct, Nagumo-san? If we could at least use something like
that... I will do my best to reward you.」
「... Ahh, “Hyuberion.” Impossible. It broke with that first attack...
It was a prototype, I still need to improve it.」
The Annihilation Weapon Hajime used to eradicate the Devil army
was called “Hyuberion.” It was a weapon which compressed
sunlight into a laser. He had thrown it to the sky before he
descended from 【Shinzan.】
“Hyuberion” converged sunlight into a large frame through
lenses, and it could be stored in “Treasure Warehouse” once
the energy was gathered.
When the energy was released from “Treasure Warehouse,” he
used Gravity Magic to help aim it to the ground.
The greatest feature of “Hyuberion” was that it could be used
 even at night. The secret was the pseudo-sun which shined in
Oscar Orcus' room. That was a combination of Space Magic
and Reproduction Magic, a collaboration of the “Liberators”
who united their Age of Gods Magic. Hajime still had not
completely understood how it had been created, though.
Hajime today could not create a sun at all. Also, because
“Hyuberion” was still in its experimental stages, it could not
endure the energy from the blast. It could no longer be used.
Still, it was not as though “Hyuberion” was the only Annihilation
Weapon Hajime had created to fight off large armies...
「I... see...」
Liliana's shoulders dropped again.
Kaori, Shizuku, and Aiko looked at Hajime. He understood their
position. Even if the surroundings had become chaotic, he still
did not change his indifference to the world. The reason he
helped others was to prevent Yue and the others from grieving
indirectly.
For that reason, he could understand what they wanted, even if
they said nothing.
Hajime ignored them and drank the tea prepared for him and
muttered in irritation, as if they were annoying.
「... I'll mend the Great Barrier before I leave.」
「Nagumo-san! Thank you!」
Paa! Liliana shined. Kaori and Shizuku were also delighted.
Somehow, he felt he was being too kind, but Yue and Shea were
also smiling. 「Well, this isn't too bad,」Hajime thought as he
smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders.
「So, where are all of you heading? You said you were going to the
Great Labyrinths to learn Age of Gods Magic, correct? If you
came back from the west... then you are heading toward the
Sea of Trees?」
「Yeah, that's right. I was going to head to Fyuren then go south
since I still have some annoying business to the east.」
Hearing Hajime's schedule, Liliana thought of something.
「Then will you be going by the Empire?」
「I probably will pass by it...」
「Then can I follow you?」
「Hm? Why?」
「With our Capital invaded, there are many things I must discuss
with the Empire. Though I have already sent a messenger and
ambassador, it is best to hold a conference early on. I can get
there quickly with your artifacts, yes? If so, I would like to
board and talk to them directly.」
Hajime was surprised by Liliana's bold proposal. She had left the
Castle on her own and asked a caravan for help. This much was
natural, he consented oddly enough.
And because it would not take time to just drop her off, it was
simple to get his approval. However, he did not forget to give a
warning.
「I'm fine with that, but I won't be going to the Empire's Capital,
got it? I definitely won't attend that conference of yours,
okay?」
「Fu fu, I did not plan on asking anything so impudent. I simply
wish for you to send me off.」
Liliana smiled wryly toward his careful remark. Kouki, who was
silently listening, spoke up again.
「Then we'll also go with her. We can't leave Lily to someone who
thinks so little of this world. We will guard her on the way. If
you're not going to do anything, Nagumo, then I'll save this
world. I need power for that. The power of the Age of Gods!
Age of Gods Magic! I will get it if I go with you!」
「No, don't just go with me without my permission. I'll tell you the
locations. I don't want anything annoying following me.」
Hajime responded in amazement.
At that point, Aiko pointed something out.
「But Nagumo-kun, even if you tell us where the Great Labyrinths
are, we can't challenge them as we are today.」
「... No, look, it's that. Even I, who was called “Incapable”
managed. You'll be fine. Go on, go on, all you need is spirit.」
Hajime said an irresponsible thing and looked away.
「Isn't it impossible?」
Hajime looked away.
Hajime was in no mood to allow his classmates to take advantage
of him.
He abhorred helping them get Age of Gods Magic since it was
nothing but a waste of time to him.
Kouki looked to be going into a rage soon while Shizuku was at a
loss, recalling their previous defeat, but she then looked up.
「... Nagumo-kun, please. It's fine if it's just this once. Just help us
get Age of Gods Magic just this once. This could be the very
thing we need to conquer the other Great Labyrinths. Won't
you allow us to go with you this time?」
「Will you really get the magic if you're being a parasite? It's only
by your own actions that the Labyrinths will acknowledge
you.」
「Of course. We also want to go home. We need a strong resolve
to challenge those mad gods as well. So please. You've saved
us many times before, and though we can do nothing but say
our thanks, we can't do anything but rely on you. Please help
us one more time.」
Aiko and Shizuku were asking him to do the unreasonable of
obtaining a single Age of Gods Magic. Their faces were stiff,
knowing they must depend on him again without being able to
repay him.
「Suzu is asking too, Nagumo-kun. Suzu wants to get stronger and
talk to Eri again. So please! Suzu will definitely find a way to
reward you!」
Shizuku and Suzu were bowing and remained silent for a long
time.
There was desperation in their voice and expression. Kouki,
though his eyebrows twitched seeing this, said nothing.
「Please, Nagumo. At least, I want the strength to be able to
defend ourselves. Seeing my childhood friends die --- I can't
stand it.」
Ryuutarou was also desperate. It was the first time for Hajime to
see Ryuutarou kneel on the ground.
He seemed to have blamed himself quite a bit for being weak in
【Orcus Great Labyrinth】and tightly grasped his fist, blood
seeping out.
Seeing them like this, Hajime hesitated.
Bringing Kouki and his classmates along to conquer 【Hartsenna
Sea of Trees】was originally an unreasonable hardship. He
wanted to decline quickly and just tell them to go back to
【Orcus Great Labyrinth】or 【Raisen Great Labyrinth.】
However, Hajime recalled his battle with Nointo and hesitated.
Nointo was simply a doll which acted for the gods; she was
essentially their hands and feet, and she pulled the wires
which caused the war he and the girls had witnessed in
【Undersea Ruins Merjinne.】
Nointo

In that case, “God's Apostle” was obviously a created existence.

Could he really say there was just one?
It would be optimistic to think so.
Nointo said it.
Hajime was an Irregular, and it was God's desire that he suffer and
die.
It was possible Nointo would be replaced. In that case, it might be
good to give Kouki and the others more power. Hajime
thought about this.
He would throw others at the enemy aiming at him.
Hajime-san, so this is a natural concept for you.
If anyone could read his mind, they would surely say 「The devil is
here!」while Hajime was thinking 「Well, he's the Hero, so it's
his job to do things like fighting with God, right? 」He had
decided tentatively to bring them along with him to
【Hartsenna Sea of Trees.】He glanced at the girls and did not
see any particularly dissenting opinion.
They sighed in relief.
They gave words of thanks, not thinking Hajime was treating them
 like meat shields and decoys.
「... Hajime, dreadful.」
「As expected of Master. His thoughts are beyond a human's.」
Apparently Yue and Tio saw through him. But because they were
whispering, no one realized.
Ignoring them, Hajime thought about the future.
The end was in sight.
No matter what existence obstructed him, no matter what
situation he fell into, he would mow everything downand
return home. Together with was “important” to him in this
world.
A flame of determination blazed even more strongly inside
Hajime.

After the discussion ended, Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku were

walking down the main street of the capital.
Gaya gaya, the typical busy noise filled the Capital.
One would normally call it “lively,” but many people in the Capital
had a dark expression. The invasion truly was a sudden thing.
Though 5 days had passed, the sense of loss and sorrow still left a
pain in the peoples' hearts.
Still, the revival did not stop. Even with no one forgetting their
sadness, they still moved. Surely this was a “person's
strength.”
The three bit into a hot-dog like item (it was a thin sausage in a
roll) as they walked down the main street.
While restlessly moving his mouth as he chewed his food, he
headed toward the Adventurer Guild. Shizuku was
accompanying him because he planned on restoring the Great
Barrier after he got his odd jobs done, so she volunteered to
act as a guide.
Shea and the others were house-sitting in the Palace. It was
judged that stimulating the people by walking in a dignified
manner through the Capital would not be a good idea, so they
 voluntarily stayed behind.
Even if the people knew the attack came from the Devils, they
would become angry at the sight of something “non-human.”
In the Capital, which followed the teachings of the Saint Church,
Demi-humans were often avoided. As such, her judgment was
appropriate.
Kaori, Aiko and the others were busy helping Liliana. Tio was
resting, restoring the magic she had quickly consumed over
the past few days.
「Why are you heading to the guild?」
Shizuku asked Hajime, eating a hot dog with cheese like Hajime,
her cheeks stuffed to the brim.
「Hm? Ah, I need to report the completion of my request and
leave a message. Well, I could do it directly, but passing
through Fyuren on the way to the Sea of Trees is troublesome.
I figured I could just report things properly to the main
guild...」
「... Report... could it be about Myuu? That's right, I haven't seen
her...」
Shizuku lowered her eyebrows in regret for a moment.
She was sure Myuu was safely brought to her mother, but,
perhaps because Myuu was so cute, she was sad. 「I want to
hold her again...」she muttered; however, Yue's next words
surprised her.
「... It's fine. You'll meet her again. Hajime will take her to
Japan.」
「... Huh? Nagumo-kun, what's the meaning of this?」
「It means exactly what it sounds like. I promised to take Myuu
back to my home.」
「Eh... no... but... Myuu-chan is a sea girl, right?」
Shizuku was confused. Hajime shrugged his shoulders and
answered as if it was nothing.
「I understand, but there shouldn't be a problem, I guess? I can
always take measure if there are issues. Whether it's possible
or not, whether I can do it or not, I'd like to find that out.」
「Well, though that's true...」
「It wouldn't really matter, anyway, right? Shea has rabbit ears...
and Yue, well, she can be passed off as an albino, but she has
vivid red eyes and sharp fangs. Looking over the long term, her
appearance won't change... Yaegashi, how did you think I
would bring them to Japan?」
Shizuku smiled wryly hearing Hajime's complaints. That certainly
was true. Yue faintly smiled as she quietly gripped Hajime's
clothes.
A sweet air began drifting. 「Thanks for the meal,」Shizuku said
while fanning her face with her hand.
She again realized the distance between her best friend and the
man before her. While the two were happily in their world,
Shizuku seemed troubled.
「... Are you looking after Kaori?」
Worried, Shizuku asked.
「Hm? Ask the person in question. No matter what I say, you
won't get a feel for it, right? Well, as promised, I haven't been
unkind to her.」
Shizuku was worried after hearing this. Seeing Kaori's appearance,
she somewhat understood the answer to her question. She
looked at Hajime, thinking, 「What an overprotective guy.」
Shizuku seemed embarrassed while Yue was surprised by
Hajime's remark. She dropped a bomb shell.
「... She attacked you because you're like this. Hajime, stand
strong.」
「Y, yeah.」
「Eh? Wait, what was that? You were attacked? By who?」
「... By Kaori. She snatched a kiss... How dare she, that Kaori.」
「K, Kaori... Fast... I see, she's gone up the stairs of adulthood
already...」
Her best friend had grown stronger without her knowing it.
Shizuku looked to the distance. She seemed lonely.
「... Aiko is also dangerous. Hajime, be careful.」
「... That can't be, right?」
Hajime averted his gaze as Yue looked at him sharply. It took him
a second to deny it. Shizuku heard their conversation and
sharply looked at Hajime like Yue did.
「Somehow, it seems you're conscious of this. So? Nagumo-kun,
what did you do to Ai-chan?」
「Hey, you. Don't just make assumptions.」
「Ai-chan was odd the day she returned to the Capital... She
spoke of you with a blush... I couldn't think that reaction was
just from you fighting off the demons back in Ul. Tell me
everything. It's important to know if Kaori's rivals are
increasing!」
「No, I...」
Shizuku approached in a heated manner, suppressing his
complaints. Yue revealed what happened with a deadpan
expression.
「... He kissed her. What a thick guy.」
「! Nagumo-kun! You! She's your teacher!」
「Wait, quiet. I'll explain, so stop holding my neck, don't shake
me!」
This damn flag creator! Her expression said. Shizuku stopped
shaking Hajime. He explained how he had managed to save
her life in Ul. Aiko was unable to take the medicine herself
because she was poisoned, so he forced her to.
Furthermore, he had shot Shimizu for her sake and had rescued
her from the main temple as well, Yue added on.
Ahh, Ai-chan has fallen...
「Well, I can tell you didn't intend for this to happen... Nagumo-
kun, how long have you known about Ai-chan's feelings?」
「... Around the time after Sensei destroyed Ishtar and the
temple... She was strangely passionate, but I thought it was
impossible... so it really is that?」
「... It is.」
「It really is.」
Yue and Shizuku responded in the affirmative without hesitation.
Hajime looked up to the sky. What should I do? It was a result
 of his actions, after all...
「Yeah, I'll just leave it.」
He came to that conclusion.
「... Well, Ai-chan probably won't take action. It might be better
to ignore it rather than doing anything unskilled.」
「Huh...? Ahh, that's what you mean. She's a teacher, and I'm a
student. It's best I just pretend I haven't noticed.」
In truth, he could not just say it was troublesome. Hajime looked
away while Shizuku glared at him, seeing through his
deception.
After finishing up their hot dogs, Hajime and the two finally
reached the Adventurer Guild Headquarters in the Capital.
The building had a history and scale incomparable to the Fyuren
Branch. The doors opened, and many adventurers could be
seen moving about. The requests had increased explosively
with the invasion.
The three went to the huge counter. Since there were many
requests here, the number of people reporting their results
were numerous.
A beautiful woman was accepting them. A beautiful woman as
well as a cute girl. A very cute girl.
However, Hajime was not going to be caught in the honey trap.
After all, his lover was a perfect beauty who would not be
defeated by anyone. There was no reason for him to be
satisfied by any other woman.
He was fascinated by her, so he wanted to be pardoned from
having to deal with her gaze.
Finally, they reached the receptionist.
Hajime took out the documents which proved he had sent Myuu
to Erisen and submitted them along with his Status Plate.
「I've come to submit a report that I've completed my request. If
possible, could you send a message to Iruwa, the head of the
Fyuren Branch, from here?」
「Yes? A request you were nominated for... let me see. I'm sorry,
please wait a moment...」
The receptionist tilted her head in confusion.
A mere adventurer would not be nominated by the head of a
guild branch, so it was natural.
The adventurers standing behind Hajime in line were staring at
him.
The receptionist looked at the Status Plate Hajime handed to her,
her expression completely destroyed.
She looked at Hajime's face and his Status Plate many times and
stood up in a panic.
「N, Nagumo Hajime-sama, correct?」
「? Yeah, it's written on my Status Plate.」
「I'm sorry, could you come into the reception room? I was told to
guide you inside when you visit... I will call Guild Master
immediately.」
「Ha? No, I just want you to send the report to Iruwa. I need to go
restore the Great Barrier, so please pardon me from this.」
「Eh, ehh~ But this is troubling to me, too... Please wait, I will call
Guild Master immediately!」
The receptionist disappeared inside with the certificate of
completion, message, and Hajime's Status Plate.
Yue tapped on Hajime's shoulder as his shoulders dropped.
Though Hajime waited for some time, it was already bothersome,
and he thought it might be best just to report directly.
However, while he was thinking, an elderly man appeared with
the receptionist.
Hajime was convinced. The man's muscular body could be seen
through his clothes, it seemed as if he would raise his arms
and shout at any moment.
As he thought this, the old man with a strange sense of drive who
seemed to be the guild master, appeared, causing the building
to grow noisy in an instant. The guild master called to Hajime,
the commotion spreading.
The guild master was named Baris Raptor. It was a name that
brought ruination. He glimpsed at Hajime who had come to
send a report to Iruwa.
Every time Hajime appeared in a city, something happened.
Things seldom went as he wished.
「Baris-dono, won't you introduce them to me as well? They are
someone you favor, after all. I would like to get close to them
by all means. Especially these wonderful women beside him.」
A pretty boy with blond hair and four women behind him
appeared beside Hajime with a lazy attitude. The surrounding
adventurers began whispering.
It seems he was Abel, and he was also of the “Gold Rank.” He was
known by the second name of “Thunder Blade.”
Baris introduced Abel as the same “Gold” to Hajime.
The surroundings quickly grew noisy, and Hajime looked as if it
were simply an annoyance.
Though Hajime began leading Yue and Shizuku out of the guild,
Abel's interest was on the girls. He would not let them go so
easily.
Rather, did he not know Shizuku was one of the members of the
Hero Party?
Hajime looked at him in doubt as he leered at them and spoke
condescendingly.
「Hmm~ So you're “Gold”~ You're quite young... What kind of
hand did you use? Was it an honest one? Or maybe it wasn't
and you can't say it... Sorry, I suppose I don't know enough?」
Abel was radiantly vomiting poison.
At this point, Hajime was ignoring the others, judging there was
no value in paying attention to them. Shizuku and Yue also
tried to quickly leave, of the same mind as Hajime.
「Hold it. Are you trying to run away because I'm a genuine
“Gold?” Why not have a meal? Well, I don't care much about
you, but how about the girls? Shall I show you what a true
“Gold” is?」
He blocked their path as he said this.
His eyes were convinced the women would not decline his
invitation; however, considering how much of a cheat the
three were... his words were simply ludicrous.
Baris knew Hajime's true colors and turned away while trembling.
「Hey, Yaegashi. Aren't unfortunate pretty boys your charge? He's
like a watered down version of Amanogawa. I leave him to a
specialist.」
「Who's a specialist. And he's a childhood friend. Kouki, well, I'm
not disappointed in him...? Probably... it's sad to say that I
can't deny the unfortunate part.」
「... Shizuku, unexpected. But quite a strong agreement.」
The three naturally were ignoring Abel.
Ever since he became “Gold,” he had likely never been treated like
this. The women were staring at Yue and Shizuku with a scowl.
As expected, whatever Hajime got involved in would become a
problem. Everyone, including the guild master, began smiling
in interest... When it seemed like an uproar would occur, an
unexpectedly deep voice called out.
「My~ Isn't that Hajime-san and Yue Onee-sama?」
Hajime felt a chill down his spine upon hearing the mysterious
voice. He took a stance and put his hand on Donner. However,
before he could turn around...
「Wh, what is this monster!?」
「Oh my~ Why would you think I'm a monster that should be
avoided so!?」
Abel shouted out on reflex.
A mass of muscles could be seen as Hajime finished turning
around. The muscular armor was thick, like out of a comic,
covering the 2 meter tall creature. Red hair settled in a twin
tail style by a cute ribbon was clear for all to see. The person
wore yukata-like clothing with many frills. It exposed very large
feet.
At that moment, Hajime recalled the monster known as Crystabel
back in Brook, but this person was different.
That is unless Crystabel had the ability to change forms...
「Hii, don't come any closer! Who do you think I am! I'm Abel the
“Thunder Blade,” the “Gold” adventurer! Don't get any closer!
I'll destroy this place!」
「My, how cruel! To think you would try to kill me on our first
meeting... Even if you're the same “Gold,” you're different
from the Manager~ But... I do like your face ♡」
Hajime stiffened hearing the (wo)man reminiscent of Crystabel.
Abel was cornered. He? She? approached while looking down
at Abel.
(S)he seemed amazed as Abel screamed. She? Probably favored
Abel's appearance and approached him impatiently with eyes
that looked crazed like a beast.
「Don't get any closer! You monster!」
Abel was unable to endure his fear and pulled out his sword.
This was an attack from a “Gold” adventurer. Everyone thought
the (wo)man would die, but reality did not always follow what
people expect.
The (wo)man closed the distance at a speed which generated
afterimages and stopped Abel's sword with one hand while
locking his joint.
Abel's body seemed to creak as he tried to escape; however, Abel
could not possibly escape the restraint of the mass of muscles.
「Nu fu fu, Punishment time ♡」
「Stop! Stop mugu!?」
Abel twitched as his sword fell to the ground.
As for his own state, it seemed a petal fell off the flower.
The women with Abel turned pale and ran out of the guild at full
speed. The room was filled with silence, finally freed as Abel
fell to the floor.
In every respect, he was purely a victim.
However, he was a “Gold” adventurer.
Everyone stared at the (wo)man... However, (s)he simply glanced
at Hajime as Abel, who lost strength, approached.
「H, hey, you! You're the same “Gold,” right! Then help me! I don't
care if you did anything illegal, I'll support you! “Thunder
Blade” is putting you to use! This is an honor! Hey, hurry up
and get rid of this thing! This trash!」
Hajime was not sure whether Abel was asking for help or abusing
 him. He simply looked pityingly at Abel. As an aside, Baris
shook his head as if saying “This is the end of his career as a
Gold.”
It seemed there were a number of problems Abel caused as
“Gold.”
Unable to bear hearing him spout abusive words, Yue approached
the (wo)man. Abel misunderstood her.
「Ah, so you're helping? Then I'll make sure to give you some time
tonight...」
「... Do not open your mouth.」
Yue was clearly angry; Hajime and Shizuku understood that well.
She was irritated that he was insulting Hajime apparently. She
stopped Abel's words, a small swirling sphere appearing in the
palm of her hand.
「... Be reborn, you ***.」
「Eh? Wai!? Sto, ah, ah, ahhh!!!」

On this day, one man perished and the cries of a (wo)man were
heard for the first time.

Yue crushed a symbol of manhood and returned to Hajime, a

satisfied expression on her face.
The male adventurers in the surroundings were trembling,
bending forward while crossing their arms across their
crotches. There were some with watery eyes as well. Just by
looking, they had been damaged.
Then, people began whispering.
「H, hey, a beautiful girl with fair hair and deep red eyes as well as
a boy with white hair and an eye patch...」
「Eh? N, no way, the “Crotch Smasher!”」
「Seriously... those two must be the “Smash Lovers”...」
「Eh? What's with that frightening nickname?」
「Didn't you hear? They're adventurers who appeared like a
comet a few months ago. “Be careful of the girl with fair hair
and red eyes. Her beautiful face will bring you to a new world.
 She's a goddess of beauty as well as a devil...” and “... The boy
with white hair will kill your son. He's an incarnation of
injustice. Don't talk to him, don't look at him, don't come into
his sights.” I heard it from a minstrel that came from Brook.
Actually, I heard he killed a few peoples' little men in Fyuren as
well.」
「That's scary.」
Hajime and Yue seemed to have been described by minstrels, and
such stories had spread even to the Capital.
The surrounding adventurers looked at Hajime and trembled.
We'll die if he looks at us! They took distance and covered
their groins.
「You two... What on earth did you do?」
Shizuku looked at Hajime and Yue in amazement.
Yue looked indifferent, but Hajime seemed annoyed by the
nicknames that were spreading. The (wo)man from a while
ago called out.
「It's been a while? It's good to see you two haven't changed at
all.」
「... No, who are you? Are you an acquaintance of Crystabel's?」
The (wo)man winked at Hajime, making him more wary. He
recalled his light trauma from when he was attacked by
Crystabel in Brook. It returned again.
Shizuku also seemed strange, her typical sociability now gone. She
had casually fallen back and was using Hajime as a shield.
「My, how thoughtless of me not to greet you... I guess you don't
recognize me like this? I confessed to Yue Onee-sama before. I
was a man who died an honorable death... Do you
remember?」
「Ah... really?」
Yue seemed to hit on something as she looked up with a surprised
expression.
The (wo)man laughed, happy that Yue remembered.
According to the introduction, he was originally the man in Brook
who confessed to Yue; he was a manly adventurer whose
 crotch was smashed again and again. It seemed he learned his
ways from Crystabel.
As an aside, his name was now Mariabel (as named by Crystabel.)
「I really was foolish that time. I'm sorry, okay? Yue Onee-
sama...」
「... Mm, you've become splendid. Enjoy your new life.」
「U fu fu, there's no need to say that, Onee-sama. Recently, many
children have been coming to Crystabel. If I'm not mistaken,
one was a “Black” from Horuad who was always acting like a
mercenary... Manager is thinking about expanding the store,
too. I came here for a preliminary inspection.」
Hajime's back was warped as he shivered. Because of he and Yue,
many (wo)men were appearing here and there in the world.
However, Hajime did not notice it. Originally, Mariabel was a man
of average height and build.
His rapid growth in these few months...
Crystabel's ability to train such people was at a monstrous level.
Furthermore, Mariabel mentioned that Crystabel was a former
“Gold.” Naturally, any apprentice would be battle hardened.
Clearly Mariabel was stronger than Abel.
An army of (wo)men with an unrivaled strength... frightening.
Hajime watched Yue and Mariabel exchange words in a friendly
fashion. He wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
From behind, he could hear Shizuku say, 「This is just a
consequence of your deeds...」
Somehow, this annoyed Hajime and he pushed her toward
Mariabel.
After that, Mariabel wrapped Shizuku in a large bear hug, her face
turning pale. After they separated, she had a grand fight
against Hajime, which resulted in ridiculous rumors to spread
about their relationship.
After being exposed to a completely different kind of threat in the
Adventurer Guild, Hajime and the girls headed to where he
would restore the Great Barrier.
The place Shizuku guided them to was guarded by many soldiers.
They sent a dangerous gaze to Hajime but softened when they
saw Shizuku by his side.
They were easily able to pass thanks to Shizuku. What they found
was a room lined with a white marble. A cylindrical artifact
with a magic formation and pattern engraved on it was
enshrined in the center.
It was typically about 2 meters in length normally, but it had been
shattered, its fragments spread out.
There were many men and women there, groaning in anxiety.
They were likely the craftsmen sent to restore the Great
Barrier.
「Oh? If it isn't Shizuku-dono... Why are you here?」
A man in his 60s filled with the spirit of a craftsman stroked his
mustache as he noticed Shizuku. He knew her by sight.
「Hello, Volpen-san. I brought a Transmuter who might be able to
restore the Great Barrier.」
「What? Is it that boy by chance?」
The man named Volpen looked at Shizuku then at Hajime. He
obviously did not say his thoughts due to Shizuku being
present.
In truth, Volpen was the most skilled Transmuter of Hairihi
Kingdom. The artifact that created the Great Barrier was
naturally an artifact of the Age of Gods. It was extremely
difficult to repair in modern days, even for the greatest
Transmuter.
Even if he was told a boy not even in his 20s could mend it, it was
not easy for him to believe.
Even so, Hajime was not concerned and simply passed between
the craftsmen to the Artifact. He used “Mineral Appraisal.”
「Hmm, I see... This really is strong.」
「Hmph, even a child would understand that.」
The Great Barrier had lasted through the centuries. Hajime could
see why it had managed to protect the Capital from invasion
for so long. Volpen snorted in displeasure.
However, Hajime simply began using “Transmute.”
Bright crimson sparks extended about Hajime as the fragments of
the artifact returned to their former position one after another
and began to fuse.
His speed and accuracy surprised not just his subordinates but
Volpen himself. Shizuku, seeing Hajime's “Transmute” for the
first time, had her eyes stolen as the vivid crimson light danced
through the skies. 「Pretty...」she muttered.
「Hmm, this should do it.」
Hajime finished mending the Age of Gods artifact in less than 10
seconds. He poured magic into the Great Barrier as well.
Particles of light climbed to the sky from the cylindrical artifact.
One of the soldiers guarding outside soon rushed into the room,
reporting that the third barrier had returned.
「... What is this... an Age of Gods artifact was repaired so
easily...」
Shizuku had a wry smile and reported that Hajime was the same
other-world person as her. 「Of course...」the craftsmen
seemed to consent.
Incidentally, Shizuku had mentioned that the sword she used was
made by Hajime, which greatly riled up the craftsmen's work
spirit.
Their eyes shined like beasts. Hajime began to quickly walk
toward the next artifact.
However, Volpen, a mass of craftsmanship, would not let him
escape so easily.
「Please wait!! Boy! Please, take us as your apprentice!!」
「Uo! Wh, what is this. Actually, stop clinging onto my foot! It's
disgusting!」
Volpen begged Hajime to become his student. Not only that, all
his subordinates followed after Hajime, one after another.
He was disgusted from the bottom of his heart to be held so
tightly by a hairy old man. Though Hajime tried to shake him
off, he could not easily remove him.
Without any other option, he used “Lightning Clad.” A ba ba ba ba
ba! Everyone screamed as they let go. Still, they still crawled
 after him. Even Hajime could not ignore this.
「You know, I'm leaving here immediately. I don't have any plans
on returning, either. It's annoying to take on apprentices. In
the first place, there's nothing I can teach.」
「But you easily restored the artifact, and you even created
Shizuku-dono's sword. We have no idea how you did that. If
you could tell us...」
「No, that was not just “Transmute,” it was also “Creation Magic.”
This is magic you can't learn even if you practice.」
「No way...」
Volpen was depressed hearing Hajime's words. In truth, Space
Magic had been applied to the Great Barrier artifact. It was a
special barrier of the space interception type.
A typical Transmuter would not be able to restore it. Of course,
because Space Magic had been applied to the stone, it was
possible to recover it steadily to some extent, but it was
impossible to completely restore it.
Hajime ignored Volpen and his subordinates and continued to the
next artifact. Volpen's eyes became sharp once again.
「Still, this doesn't change that your transmutation is excellent!
Please, take us as your pupils!!」
「You're persistent!」
Their craftsman spirit was amazing. They were unwilling to
compromise.
After Hajime finished restoring the artifacts, all the Kingdom
craftsmen stuck to Volpen, crying like children to their
grandfather.
Perhaps the rumor had spread, as many craftsmen crowded
about, wanting to learn from Hajime even a little.
Though he had thrown many of them away, they got up and
crawled toward him like zombies, wanting to learn the secret
behind his “Transmute.”
As expected of the craftsmen who were important to the Capital,
he thought about sending them all to the hospital...
Though Hajime attempted to escape their network was wide, and
 he could find nowhere to hide. It was as if they were digging
up roots to find him if they had to. They would cling to him
until they found everything out. Even Hajime could not help
but be put off.
Hajime planned to seriously escape, but ended up playing a large
game of tag with all the craftsmen in the Capital.
「Shit, what's going on? I'm even using “Presence Interception.”」
「Ha ha ha, that won't work, we use our intuition!!」
「We'll find you, Nagumo-dono!!」
「Haa, haa, that skill! I want to hear even a little more about it!!」
These craftsmen (?) were like a special organization who could
surpass even Hajime.
With a cramp in his cheek, he seriously began to think about
whether or not he would have to pull out Donner & Schlag.
Escape, chase, and confusion. Liliana heard the craftsmen had
disappeared from the artifact site and eventually set it up so
that they had all gone on a business trip.

「Yaegashi... why didn't you help? Aren't they your

acquaintances?」
Hajime returned to the Palace exhausted. He stared at Shizuku
who had returned earlier and was drinking tea elegantly.
Yue also sat next to Shizuku. His lover prepared tea for him as he
had returned.
She had seen the army of craftsmen, panting as they gazed at
Hajime with bloodshot eyes. Since she returned to the Palace
earlier, she looked away. What a wonderful lover.
「Don't make any unreasonable demand... Even if I'm indebted to
you for the sword, I knew it was impossible to stop them...」
「... Hajime, good work.」
While Shizuku looked away and gave an excuse, Yue patted
Hajime's head as he drank his tea.
Hajime tightly held Yue like a princess in his arms as he sat across
from Shizuku.
「... What's with this difference in treatment? Yue did the same
thing...」
「Ha? There's no way you and Yue are the same rank, right?
There's no way I could get angry at Yue.」
「Yeah, Yue is your lover, I know that, but... I really want to hit
you.」
Yue sat on his knee and fed snacks to Hajime. 「Am I in the way?
Am I an insect or something?」Shizuku said with a cramp in
her cheek. When she thought about whether or not she would
leave to see Kaori, the door suddenly opened.
Hajime looked back to see a handsome young boy about 10 years
old with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked at Hajime.
Then he saw Yue on his knee. When he saw this, he grew twice as
angry.
「You! How could you look at someone other than Kaori! A, and
you've got more, too! Th, that's... I won't forgive you!」
The boy who appeared was Prince Randell S. B. Hairihi.
He grasped his fist and bellowed as he ran at Hajime, fully intent
on hitting him.
Hajime did not understand what was going on but took a sugar
cube for the tea and flicked it at an impossible speed.
It hit Randell from straight on. 「Higu!」he screamed, his head
hitting the floor as he fell back.
Randell rolled over, hurting in the back of his head.
He writhed about before standing up and rushing at Hajime again.
Hajime shot another sugar cube. Bachikon! Randell did yet
another splendid roll backward and hit the floor again.
「Y, Your Highness~! Bastard~! How dare you do that to His
Highness~!」
「We'll strike you down!」
「Guard His Highness!」
Randell's guard appeared and flew into a rage, attacking Hajime.
--- Bachikon! Bachikon! Bachikon!
Naturally, splendid sugar cube bullets hit them one after another,
causing them to flip back and kneel prostrate on the ground.
Still, Randell was a tenacious fellow and stood up while staring at
Hajime. Though he had a good spirit, Hajime grabbed some
sugar cubes.
--- Chu Chu Chu Chu Chu Chu Chu Chuin!
An impossible sound was heard as the sugar cubes left Hajime's
hand like a machine gun. Randell writhed about on the floor.
Though the damage had been suppressed because Hajime used
sugar cubes, it still hurt.
Shizuku pulled herself together only to hear someone sobbing on
the ground.
Hajime stopped assaulting Randell with sugar cubes only because
they had run out. Randell had his face buried into the floor as
he knelt down like a girl who had just been assaulted, crying.
Hajime's attack had broken him.
The surrounding people cried, 「Your Highness~! Your wounds are
shallow!」while running up to comfort him.
Liliana appeared with perfect timing.
Shizuku was scolding Hajime for doing too much while Yue calmly
sat on Hajime's knee and ate snacks. Hajime said nothing and
just drank his tea. Meanwhile, there were many people
surrounding Randell, trying to comfort him as he had broken
down.
Liliana covered her face with her hand and looked up.
「It seems I was too late...」
「Princess. Can't you do something about your emotionally
unstable brother? Hurry up and collect him.」
Liliana looked at Hajime, wanting to say 「You are the cause
here!」Still, Randell certainly did act recklessly. After sighing
deeply, she helped Randell stand up.
To say the least, the reason Randell rushed at Hajime was because
of Kaori.
Kaori had physically changed, so Randell closely questioned her
about what happened.
He understood this “Hajime” was the cause. Furthermore,
because Kaori talked about Hajime like a girl in love, he finally
 saw who his true enemy was.
And so, I won't forgive him for making Kaori throw her body
aside! Randell thought as he ran to look for Hajime. When he
saw Hajime holding another woman, his anger grew.
Randell challenged Hajime enthusiastically, like a knight rescuing a
princess captured by a devil... the result was clear to see.
Far from hitting Hajime, he was unable to approach and could
only fall on the ground crying.
He raised his arms to Liliana, 「Sister~」he cried while clinging to
her.
Even Hajime thought, 「Did I go too far?」He scratched his cheek.
Shizuku looked at him in amazement for being so childish.
Still, Randell's misfortune did not end yet. After he buried his face
in Liliana's chest, Kaori entered the room.
「Ah, Your Highness Randell, Lily, too... eh, what's wrong? You're
crying so much!」
「K, Kaori!? No, th, this is, I was just asking something of my
sister...」
Randell parted from Liliana and desperately made an excuse.
Before the woman he liked, even if his mouth was torn open, as a
boy, he could not possibly say he was looking to his sister for
comfort.
Still, Kaori understood something had happened with Hajime
which caused Randell to cry. Guessing the rough circumstances
seeing Liliana and Shizuku's expression, she dropped a bomb
after quite a long absence.
「Really... Hajime-kun, it's your fault, right? His Highness is crying,
you really shouldn't bully younger children.」
「No, he suddenly ran up to me, I just patted him a bit...」
Though Randell was serious, Hajime barely did a thing. Randell
was shocked.
However, he was more surprised that what happened between
them was judged as simple bullying. 「Guu,」he groaned
while holding his hand to his chest.
「Pat... did you properly “make allowances?” His Highness is still a
 child, isn't he?」
The woman he liked was treating him like a child. 「Hau!」he
cried in disgrace as he held his chest more tightly.
「Ahh, I just threw some sugar cubes, right? There's not much
damage. It's the best way to deal with a kid.」
「But he was asking Lily for something... and his “cute face” is all
red... I know His Highness has “intense beliefs” and is a little
“reckless,” but he's a “good child” at heart. Please don't be so
immature...」
She had recognized that he was asking for comfort from Lily, and
he, as a man, was evaluated as cute. His faults were pointed
out one after another. Furthermore, he was treated as a child.
Randell crumbled to the ground.
「Oh my,」Lily said as she had a troubled smiled. Shizuku said,
「Stop it already, His Highness' Life Points are already zero!」
However, Kaori did not stop.
She ran up to the crumbling Randell anxiously.
「Your Highness, are you all right? It must hurt...」
「... No, I'm not injured. Beside... Kaori... Kaori, what do you think
of me...」
Randell, injured in many places, boldly asked to hear Kaori's
feelings.
「Of Your Highness? Right... Sometimes I'm jealous of Lily. I also
want a mischievous younger brother like His Highness.」
「Gufu... Y, younger brother...」
Randell was given more additional damage by this bomb
delivered with a smile.
He looked like he wanted to cry. Shizuku and the others were
appealing to Kaori to stop.
However, even if he was young, Randell was a man, and he could
not stop here.
He had cried numerous times these past days due to news of his
father's death, and he had recovered thanks to his mother and
elder sister. He swore before his father's grave to be strong. He
would need to lead the country now that the king was gone.
 He could not remain doubled over in pain.
「Then... is that guy good? What's good about him!」
Randell pointed at Hajime, his expression saying, 「Kaori, wake
up! You're better off without him!」
Hajime held Yue from behind who was staring at Randell, causing
him to shrink back. Randell thought Hajime was the worst man
he had ever met.
However, Kaori's reaction was obvious...
「Eh? Wh, what are you saying so suddenly, Your Highness...
Really~ It's embarrassing, but... Fu fu, yes. He's someone I
love. I don't know what I could really say... Fu fu.」
She gave the decisive blow.
Randell looked down while trembling.
Though Kaori was worried and rubbed the back of his head, he
rejected her hand and stood up, running to the door.
Then he turned around.
「I really hate you!!!」
He yelled and ran away.
Tears could be seen collecting in his eyes.
「Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!」he cried as he ran away.
Everyone ran after him in confusion, screaming, 「Your
Highness~!」
「... Youth.」
「I, I know your policy, but... I didn't think you'd make him cry.」
「No, well, right... Kaori was the one that gave the final blow,
right?」
「Kuu, I can't argue with that...」
Hajime muttered to himself while watching Randell's first love fall
like the cherry blossoms. Shizuku gave a verbal jab, and Kaori
tried to chase after Randell only to be stopped by Liliana.
Liliana understood Randell's first love, and decided to sleep with
him tonight to comfort him. Randell would become king of this
country, it was good for him to experience an unrequited love
or two.
Liliana closed the door and approached Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku,
 accompanied by Kaori. She had not come just to chase after
Randell, she also had something to talk about with Hajime.
Liliana sat next to Shizuku.
Kaori... tried to sit on Hajime's knee opposite Yue...
She and Yue were grappling in a “Figure Four” lock from pro
wrestling...
If it were her previous body, Kaori could not rival Yue in strength
as Yue could manipulate magic to strengthen herself, even if
she was a rear guard. Even so, she was in the apostle's body
now... so she seemed to be pushing back.
「Kaori... You've become so strong...」
「No, Shizuku, do not admire her there.」
Shizuku spoke with a lonely expression while Liliana responded to
her thoughts.
Shizuku had become slightly unfortunate after Kaori died before.
Hajime flicked Kaori strongly in the forehead and made her sit
next to him.
「Uu, Yue alone is mean...」
「... Fu fu, I won't let anyone else on Hajime's knee.」
「Um~ Can we start the conversation...」
Liliana coyly called to them, but no one paid attention to her.
「Hajime-kun...」
「Don't look at me like that, Kaori. You're sitting next to me, isn't
that good enough?」
「... Can't be helped. You can use his hand.」
「Eh? Really? Then I want you to pat my cheek like you do with
Yue... okay?」
「I don't mind that much.」
「E he he, thank you, Hajime-kun.」
「I can wait. I just have to wait, right? Yes, I think I can wait for
some time... Gusu.」
Liliana had completely lost the timing to talk. 「E, even though I'm
a princess... again,」she said.
Shizuku could stand it no longer and broke through Hajime's pink
barrier which seemed to include Kaori a little. It was stronger
 than usual.
This was proof that Kaori was single-mindedly thinking of
Hajime...
「Kohon. This is about the rumors concerning the Saint Church
and Nagumo-san... Things are going unexpectedly well. Aiko's
name of “Goddess of Fertility” seems to be working.」
「I see... Well, people believe what they want to believe, this is
natural if something shakes their mind so strongly. I figured
they'd believe it without much of a problem. As for how long it
will last... well, what will happen will be unavoidable.」
「... Right. Still, this is unbelievable. This is something everyone
has believed in for years... Individuals may be fine, but panic
will spread amongst those who gather in a group. Nagumo-
san's proposal was certainly helpful to us.」
Liliana bowed to Hajime with a complicated expression. 「What
do you mean?」Shizuku asked, her head tilted.
Hajime had given Liliana an excuse to use for the people in
explaining why the main temple had collapsed.
It was not possible to keep this a secret indefinitely, so the Palace
would need to provide an explanation of some sort.
However, if they said “The Eht-sama you believed in only thinks of
us as toys to use in their games of war. The main temple of the
Saint Church was filled with fanatics and fell to an explosion,”
everyone would fall into a panic.
Hajime provided a simple explanation and handed it to Liliana.
The content included the reason that an evil god had brainwashed
the Pope and his men, leading to the Capital's invasion.
Aiko was sent to reason with he who had started war on his own.
The Pope died a martyr in battle alongside the Apostle of God.
The light which shined in the sky was sent down by Aiko's sword
in order to defend the city.
That was the story in summary.
It was not true, but it was not entirely a lie, either; in short, it was
roughly correct.
With Aiko, the “Goddess of Fertility,” and the story about an evil
 god who had used Eht-sama's name to commit atrocities, it
gave an opportunity to think about God. “It is necessary for
everyone to be someone who can act upon God's teachings.
What is right, what is wrong, we need to judge this for
ourselves. The priesthood became martyrs for this very
reason...” Such was the speech given at the memorial service.
In other words, people thought there was a “good Eht” while
Hajime introduced the concept of an “evil Eht.” This would
place a wedge in people's mind, and they would simply
recognize the “Goddess of Fertility” as an ally.
Even if people spoke Eht's name, if they could not easily
distinguish between “good Eht” and “evil Eht,” it would be
difficult to drive people to extremes.
As a result, the group of people who panicked about what they
believed in being a fantasy was suppressed, and this would
also serve as a means to rebel against the gods in the future...
possibly.
「I see... Nagumo-kun really thought about this. As for the story
about the gods, Ai-chan spoke about this as well...」
「Did you think I was a muscle head or something? Well, it came
to me on the spot, and it will work for the time being, so I just
thought I'd give you the basics...」
「Fu fu, I didn't particularly think you were a muscle head. You
certainly are reliable. You should simply receive it as praise.」
Hajime shrugged his shoulders while Shizuku looked at Hajime as
if he were reliable.
Seeing their conversation, Yue and Kaori exchanged gazes and
looked at Shizuku. Shizuku noticed and shook. 「Eh, what?
What is it?」she asked Yue and Kaori.
「Yue, what do you think?」
「... Mm, still fine. At the friend level.」
「Right. But “still”...」
「... Mm. Need caution.」
Yue and Kaori were consulting with one another. Shizuku seemed
extremely uncomfortable. Liliana could read the mood as well.
Hajime looked at Yue and Kaori in amazement.

Evening.
The dark red sky had disappeared and thin shadows stretched
along the ground. A shadow stood in front of a large stone
monument near the mountains to the northwest of the Palace.
「I'm sorry...」
The true nature of the shadow muttering to itself was Aiko.
Before the monument to the dead, there were many articles left
by the living as mementos for the departed.
Though not all people who died had their name carved here,
Meld and his men certainly had theirs done.
Aiko quietly placed the weaponry and armor she knew on sight.
There were many western-style swords and spears which were
damaged in various ways. The artifact of students --- Hiyama
Daisuke and Kondo Reiichi --- were also placed here.
Aiko began confessing.
What should I do now, I can no longer take all of you back to
Japan?
Why did you have to die?
What could I have done...
While looking down, she heard footsteps behind her.
They were loud, as if purposely alerting her of the owner's
presence. He, normally, would not make such noises.
Aiko looked up.
「Nagumo-kun...」
「What a coincidence, Sensei.」
Hajime stood before Aiko.
He had a laurel wreathe in hand. Obviously, he had come to offer
tribute. It was unexpected.
Hajime guessed what Aiko was thinking from her expression. He
placed the wreathe before the monument with a wry smile.
「Did you think that I could no longer mourn the dead, Sensei?」
「Eh? Ah, no, that's not what I particularly...」
Hajime spoke to Aiko with a regrettable tone.
Aiko tried to deceive him, but Hajime simply shrugged his
shoulders and silently stood beside Aiko.
Aiko looked up at Hajime for a moment, but there was no sign
that he was worrying about her state of mind. He showed no
sign of speaking, either.
Feeling anxious, Aiko began to talk on her own.
「Um~ Those flowers... is it for Hiyama-kun and the others?」
「Of course not. It's for Meld.」
Hajime easily responded, only raising a single eyebrow.
「For Meld-san...」
「Yeah. Though I didn't speak with him much, I didn't hate his
personality. For someone like me, he was worried, and even if I
failed, he always tried to help me improve... These flowers are
for he whose death I feel is “regrettable.”」
「Nagumo-kun... I see...」
Aiko had a gentle expression.
Though Hajime would mercilessly turn his murderous intent
toward an enemy, she was glad he could still mourn for the
dead.
Her cheeks became loose, seeing he had purposely explained
himself..
In truth, Yue and the girls were taking a bath, and they had
approached him with carnivorous eyes, so he ran away. He
noticed flowers in a vase decorating the hallway by chance, so
he used his free time and made a wreathe...
Because he could not possibly say this was what happened, he
said he regretted Meld's death.
Hajime frowned seeing Aiko more relaxed; he understood the
situation.
「You're not blaming me...」
「Eh?」
Aiko tilted her head upon hearing Hajime's sudden words.
「Hiyama. He was different from Shimizu. It seems he had been
partly eaten by a demon in the end, but his death is on my
 hands. Kondo, too, was someone I destroyed, even if he was a
puppet. I killed two students who were precious to you... I
thought you would be angry.」
「...」
Aiko looked down, no longer smiling.
Hajime was silent.
He did not press her for an answer.
The silence continued for some time... before long, Aiko began
spinning her words.
「... Honestly, I can't be so business-like. I can't forgive Hiyama-
kun for killing Shirasaki-san. I also wish he could have lived to
atone for his crimes. It was a shock that Kondo-kun turned out
that way, but I can understand the anger you had. Someone
important to you was killed in your presence... you could do
nothing but vent your anger... Even so, I do not have the
qualifications to blame you.」
Aiko crossed her arms and rubbed them together. She was cold
and was trying to warm her body.
「And what of the temple, Sensei?」
「...」
She was silent. Though Aiko seemed to recover to some extent
from when she followed Hajime and Tio to obtain
Reproduction Magic, she was still weighed down by her guilt.
She had large shadows under her eyes which she had hidden
with make-up.
It was clear she had not slept much the past few days. She likely
saw nightmares.
Silence again.
Hajime said nothing. Aiko eventually spoke again, her voice
lacking any energy.
「... Nagumo-kun... Doesn't it hurt?」
「Killing people? I don't particularly think so... maybe that part of
me broke in the Abyss. That's why I can't sympathize.」
「...」
Aiko looked in pain hearing Hajime's words. An important part of
 him was broken. This single stroke further cut her spirit.
「... No one... blames you.」
「Hm?」
Aiko spoke, as if unable to stand any longer.
「No one will blame you. The eyes of those in the class haven't
changed. The people of the Kingdom may even praise you.」
It was true. The students had too strong an impression of Hajime
from his monstrous battle. Aiko, having participated in this
homicide, bore the brunt for him having fought, but the palace
officials of the Kingdom had thanked her instead for helping to
resolve their brainwashing.
「I heard David-san and the others talking. Even when I asked
them, they didn't blame me, even though I completely
destroyed something so important to them.」

She bit her lips in vexation, blood dripping down.

Aiko wanted them to blame her. The act of killing others... was a
heavy sin. So long as one was not completely mad, they would
hold this emotion.
For one who was hurt by the guilt of killing another, being blamed
by others was a form of salvation in a sense.
Aiko, too, was wanting to be blamed, but such a thing was not
granted to her.
Though she certainly did play a factor in the destruction of the
Church, Tio would have killed them off in one way or another,
even if Aiko was not there.
Hajime scratched his cheek and opened his mouth, embarrassed.
「You don't have to think about it, Sensei. The immediate cause of
their death was Tio's breath. You just helped, right? It's not
really a burden you need to carry alone...」
「I can't possibly think it's unrelated to me! I, it's true... I helped
Tio kill them, and I understood it before I took action. No
matter what, whether I killed them directly or not, it doesn't
change the fact that it was homicide!」
Aiko strongly rebutted. Her body then shrunk back as if
 apologizing.
Seeing Aiko stare at him silently, Hajime asked her a question.
「... Do you regret it?」
「... No, at that time, I was determined to help Tio-san... I could
not overlook the Church... to help you... and I couldn't leave
the students experience something so terrible... so...」
Aiko said, pain filling her voice, “I don't regret it.”
At that time, she saw Ishtar and the priests cornering Hajime. She
could not allow any harm to befall Hajime or the students, so
she was determined to dirty her hands, even if it meant being
hated by others.
Her resolve remained unshaken, but she still felt the suffering of
someone who took the lives of another. It was not something
that reason would help.
Hajime sighed to the extent that Aiko could not hear him. Why
would Aiko reveal such heavy emotions to a student like me?
He had only come here to kill some time... that was his true
intent.
Then he remembered when Yue and Shizuku pointed out Aiko's
feelings for him. He was worried. Apparently, Hajime had now
completely left the category of student in Aiko's mind.
Hajime let his eyes wander as he looked for words.
「Sensei, will you still remain a teacher from now on?」
「Eh?」
Aiko had a blank expression hearing Hajime's sudden question.
She remembered he asked a similar question.
Back then, she answered 「Of course!」with confidence. Now,
though...
「...」
She could not answer immediately. She doubted she could
introduce herself as a teacher now that she had murdered
someone.
Aiko bit down, her face distorted. There was an extraordinary
amount of conflict whirling about her mind.
Hajime spoke on behalf of Aiko, as if expecting this.
「If Sensei remains our teacher in the future... will you listen to
my selfishness as a student a little?」
「Selfishness...?」
Aiko looked pale, but she became confused.
「Yeah, my selfishness.」
Hajime looked away from the stone monument while nodding
toward Aiko. He matched her gaze and looked straight at her.
Hajime's eyes are watching me; she stared back at him, as if
attracted.
Hajime confirmed Aiko was properly looking at him before he
began speaking. His words definitely more on the selfish end.
「Sensei... I think it best that you feel guilty. Shoulder this burden.
Fight on properly. Properly shoulder the weight. Properly
suffer. Properly complain. It's very human, it's brilliant. I can no
longer feel such emotions... become a good example of
“Humanity” for me. Continue shouldering this in the future.
Show me how a human feels pain. So that when we return to
Japan, I'll be able to live as a human.」
「Nagumo-kun...」
Aiko's eyes opened wide. He did not blame her, nor was he
comforting her. She did not think he hoped for her to suffer.
However, with her mind as it was now, it held a certain meaning.
It was a shock that helped disperse the dark clouds in her
heart.
It was hard to bear the burden of the actions she determined to
take herself. She wanted to escape, to compromise. Because
she was born with a personality that did not permit her to do
so, it was all the more painful.
However, there was still someone she could help as she was.
There was a person who did not want to forget the important
things he had lost.
Aiko thought about it.
--- Ahh, he really is selfish. How can he be so merciless yet so
gentle.
A tear fell down Aiko's cheek. She stubbornly wanted to resist
 crying, despite how she was just moments before.
Hajime looked away as she cried. He said his last words with a
troubled tone as he turned away.
「Well, if it becomes too painful, if you feel like you'll break... if
there is no one else... if you're completely at a loss... I'll lend
you my back.」
「... Really... You're...」
Aiko, not noticing she was crying, approached Hajime from
behind. She buried her face into his back.
「Then please lend it to me for a bit... Nagumo-kun.」
「Got it, Sensei.」
Aiko entrusted her body to him and cried out all the tears she had
held back. She made a vow to herself again.
She would continue on as a teacher, and she would continue
shouldering her crime so that her selfish pupil could watch
her... She would do her best.
The sound of sobbing filled the night as the shadow of two people
expanded across the ground to the east.
Once Aiko finished crying, Hajime returned to the Palace with
Aiko who was blushing with her head down in embarrassment.
I did it again... he thought as he fell into a cold sweat.
It goes without saying that Yue and the others noticed this.
Shea and the others also met him when he returned to his room.
Of course, Yue's gaze was the most painful of all.
Furthermore, they met David and the temple knights by chance
on their way back from the Palace... Apparently his Aiko love
had managed to support him somehow.
Originally, their sense of values were completely different from
Aiko whom they were charged with guarding. After they
returned to the Capital, they were forcibly torn away from
Aiko. After what happened on the mountain, their distrust in
the speech and behavior of those related to the Saint Church
grew even stronger.
They learned about what was going on and were shocked. Even
so, they could not hate Aiko.
Though they still had a desperate feeling somewhere...
They decided to believe in the “Goddess of Fertility” and help
revive the knights.
Their love for Aiko seemed to have taken a strange turn... Surely
many things had happened to them.
「Honestly, really now!」
「Hajime-kun... Shouldn't you be more careful?」
「Fu fu fu, as expected of you, Master. You land the decisive blow
when we take our eyes off you for just a moment...」
In the dining room in the Palace, Shea and the girls could be
heard blaming him.
Hajime continued eating the dishes as if it was not his problem.
Yue sat to the right of Hajime and said nothing, but she looked
troubled upon closer examination. She had heard the
circumstances, so she thought, 「Well, it couldn't be helped,」
but she felt conflicted because the feelings Aiko held for
Hajime were completely off for a student.
Furthermore, she heard Hajime's policy of “leaving” Aiko alone,
so she felt a little sympathy somewhere.
「... Hajime, can Aiko tolerate?」
Because Yue heard the important story from Hajime, Yue seemed
 a bit anxious. On the other hand, Hajime stopped eating and
thought about it a little.
「Hm~ It's fine, isn't it? I suppose I could make an artifact with
Spirit Magic to help stabilize her mentality. Well, I doubt
there's a need to be so anxious. If it's her, I think she'll properly
digest things.」
「... I see. That's good.」
Hajime smiled at Yue who seemed to relax a little.
「Yue-san... as expected, she's one, two steps ahead of us.」
「This is... the difference between Yue and me? Kuu, I won't lose!
I won't lose!」
「Right, it seems natural... a skill to grasp Master's heart... I dare
say, please allow me to properly praise you for it.」
「... An unneeded evaluation.」
Shea trembled, Kaori was mortified, and Tio looked upon her with
admiration.
Yue had a bitter expression hearing their unexpected evaluation.
Hajime smiled wryly while patting her hair.
The tension rose in an odd way when a group came to the dining
room unexpectedly. It was Kouki and the other students. Aiko
had appeared as well, so everyone was present.
Hajime looked at them for an instant then frowned. Because he
heard they had eaten earlier, he wanted to take his time and
relax... but his plans went awry.
Well, he was not particularly anxious about it, so he returned to
eating. Yue and the girls did not particularly mind, either.
However, it was not so simple for the students. Some were
fascinated, some were awkward, and others were puzzled
about what to do.
Though many gazes were aimed at him, Hajime did not
particularly care. As an aside, Aiko looked at Hajime in a
different way.
「Ah, Shizuku-chan! Over here!」
「Kaori, is it fine next to you?」
「Of course.」
Kaori smiled brightly with Nointo's cool face. Shizuku also relaxed
and sat next to her.
It was hard to believe Kaori's body had changed, so the
classmates who were puzzled as to what to do smiled seeing
the peaceful atmosphere.
Rather, more than being nervous, there were many who were
simply happy that Kaori was still alive.
When Shizuku sat down, Kouki sat next to her. Aiko sat on the
opposite side, and Suzu sat next to Aiko.
The students sat down one after another. Suzu, seeing Yue, said
「I'm next to Yue Onee-sama...!」and seemed oddly tense.
Yue tilted her head and simply asked, 「... Why Onee-sama?」
When Kouki and the students sat down, maids began moving to
place food before them. Their menu was the same as Hajime's.
At that time, Hajime and the girls met Aiko's gaze. She blushed
lightly and averted her eyes in embarrassment. She lowered
her voice to talk in secret.
「U, um, Nagumo-kun... Um, about before... If possible...」
She was ashamed by her actions and also noticed Yue seemed to
sympathize with her. As a teacher, she did not want this to get
out.
Hajime understood, and Yue did not seem to deny her wishes.
Aiko thanked them silently.
Aiko was blushing even more. Shizuku looked at Aiko, then at
Hajime. Fortunately, she figured nothing out. Also, they were
in something of a blind spot, so no one seemed particularly
suspicious.
As an aside, Atsushi and the other boys of the Ai-chan guard were
whispering 「That bastard finally got Ai-chan at last,」glaring
at him with a full on grudge. Nana and Taeko smiled bitterly,
and while Yuuka looked disinterested, she sent an intense gaze
went over to Hajime and Aiko on occasion.
「Did something happen, Sensei?」
「Fue?」
Hajime pretended not to know. Though Aiko was surprised, she
 guessed he was hiding it for her and smiled wryly. 「It's
nothing,」she said.
She was somewhat relieved, but also thought herself a little
cowardly.
Seeing this, the girls looked at Hajime more and more. Yue pat his
shoulder in comfort. 「Ah~」she said.
As expected of the first heroine, she was different from the more
violent ones that appeared these days.
Hajime indulged himself in deep emotions as he ate; Yue truly
was the greatest lover. Shea, sitting on the other side, tugged
on his sleeve.
「Hajime-san. Ah~」
With her love rivals increasing, Shea felt it necessary to appeal in
any way she could. She glanced upward, her cheeks blushing,
as she presented a fork. Her rabbit ears quietly drew close to
Hajime.
Hajime did not hesitate and bit. Shea's rabbit ears and tail were
waving about happily.
Seeing this, Kaori and Tio could not remain silent. The two, in a
panic, thrust their forks in their food.
「H, Hajime-kun, me too, Ahh~!」
「Master. Eat mine as well. Ah~」
「... Just this once.」
Even if their food was the same, they still did it, so Hajime gave a
tentative condition. Hajime ended up eating the food they
presented.
Kaori and Tio seemed especially happy.
「What's with this atmosphere... It's really uncomfortable...」
Shizuku had a cramp in her face seeing the pink barrier
surrounding Hajime. Kouki and Ryuutarou, as well as Suzu, felt
a similar discomfort.
Only Aiko was muttering to herself, wondering if she should do
the same. Still, she scolded herself in the end.
The other schoolgirls began going Kyaa kyaa~ from the sweet
atmosphere in the room as they looked at Hajime. Their fear of
 him changed as they watched this love comedy. How did “he”
get a harem like this after falling into the Abyss... The girls'
eyes were sparkling in curiosity as they watched Hajime.
The boys were also looking at him, though more in awe.
Their eyes were filled with envy.
He was surrounded by beauties and was clearly “unrivaled.”
Many people were looking at Shea. Even without being otaku, a
rabbit-eared girl tickled a man's heart. Shea's smile as she sat
next to Hajime as well as the movements of her rabbit ears
were overwhelmingly destructive.
Still, even if they were jealous of Hajime who had such beauties
surrounding him, they could not easily say anything.
They had called Hajime “Incapable” before and looked down on
him yet now he had become someone with overwhelming
strength.
Hajime ignored his classmates' gazes and quietly watched Kaori
who looked at her fork while blushing from the corner of his
vision...
Kaori's eyes swam about a little. Then, as if determined, she
pierced her food with her fork and brought it up. She blushed
again.
Are you a child! Hajime wanted to say, but, before he could, Yue
spoke sharply.
Kaori had noticed Yue watching her and matched her gaze as the
arrow of words hit their mark.
「... Pervert.」
「!? N, n o! What are you saying! I, I'm just eating normally!」
「... You're bold for trying to get a taste of Hajime.」
「I, I'm not doing anything like that! A, Anyway, only Tio is a
pervert! Look, she's licking her fork!」
「Hmmmu?」
Kaori objected while blushing and pointed to Tio. Tio had the fork
in her mouth and was licking it all over. Tio was speechless.
Is there a problem? Tio's expression said that as she held the fork
in her mouth. She was clearly enjoying herself. This massive M
 seemed to have evolved in an abnormal way before anyone
was aware of it.
「Tio, stop it right now. I'll send you flying.」
Hajime warned Tio, his temples twitching.
「Mu, no helping it... Master has yet to kiss me. I was getting rid
of my frustration.」
Hajime looked at her with a more stern gaze.
Tio's eyes brightened as she remembered something.
「Right! Master! I have yet to receive my reward! You promised
me a reward!」
「Huh? Reward?」
Hajime frowned and said, 「What are you talking about?」
hearing Tio's words. He immediately recalled and clicked his
tongue.
The people, not knowing what was going on, tilted their head in
confusion. Shea represented them all.
「Reward... what's going on?」
「Yes, back at the temple, when he entrusted Sensei-dono to me,
he promised to give me a reward. Nfu fu fu... Master. You will
not tell me you forgot, will you?」
Shea and Kaori said 「That's no fair!」as Tio urged him to fulfill
his promise with a disgusting smile. Somehow, everyone's
attention gathered in Hajime who was now in a bad mood.
「So? What do you want? I'll say it now, but it can only be
“something I can do,” got it?」
Like when Shea asked for a reward before, he would not hear
demands such as “holding her.” Tio understood and nodded.
With a faint blush on her cheek, she nervously gave her
demand.
「Relax. I will not say anything unreasonable. Like back when we
first met... I just want you to torment my butt.」
She held her cheeks with her hand, as if saying 「Kya! I said it!」
She conveyed an absurd demand. It was an abnormal one. As
expected, she was truly a pervert.
Everyone except Yue and the girls seemed shaken.
Everyone looked at Hajime like a criminal.
「Rejected, you perverted dragon. That remark will invite
misunderstandings.」
Hajime easily rejected her. Tio looked shocked and protested.
「Wh, why! It is not unreasonable at all! That time, you thrust
that hard, black, fat stick into my butt. You quickly pulled it
out, ignoring me while you did it... Please, torment me without
mercy!」
「I told you! Stop saying things that will cause a
misunderstanding!」
Everyone looked at Hajime as if he were a deviant.
「... But can you really say it's a misunderstanding?」
Yue and the other girls, who had continued going 「Ah~」while
trying to feed Hajime, followed up.
「... Certainly, she did not tell any lies.」
「You really did stick that...」
「Yeah, Nagumo-kun, you were merciless.」
Yuuka muttered quietly an agreement while Nana and Taeko
nodded. Though they were whispering, it was clear what they
were saying.
And the doubt the classmates had immediately turned to
conviction.
「... Hajime-san, there certainly is a bit of a misunderstanding,
but...」
「... Hajime. The reason Tio became a pervert is you. Can't be
helped.」
Shea and Yue betrayed him.
「N, Nagumo-kun... You... To think you did that to Tio-san...」
「Hajime-kun... I'm so jeal... no, you need to take
responsibility...」
Everyone looked at Hajime as if he were the Demon King.
Hajime slowly stood up and raised his right hand. While everyone
stared at him, Hajime took out the black stake of the pile
bunker from “Treasure Warehouse.” It was giving off bright
crimson sparks the moment it appeared for some reason.
A cold sweat ran down Tio's cheeks.
「OK, Tio. Are you ready for your reward? What, you wanted this
in your ass, right? Gladly. It's harder and thicker than before.
Not only that, it's heavy to boot. You won't have time to pant,
I'll let you die in an instant.」
Tio realized it. 「Not good, I was too into it.」
Though it was a result of the pile bunker being driven into her
that changed Tio into such a pervert, Hajime clearly had lost
his temper.
Clearly he was ignoring his own fault in creating this
misunderstanding.
「W, wait, Master. You don't have to do it, I was a little hasty,
right? I will definitely die if you use this. I apologize, so please,
put that away!」
「Don't hold back, Tio. You wanted this, right? No need to go to
the room, I'll take care of this here and now.」
「Hiii~ Master is serious~! Yue, Shea, Kaori~ Stop Master! Help
me~!」
Hajime approached, sparks gushing from his body. Tio had watery
eyes as she asked for help. She really would die if he hit her
with that. Still, she seemed to be blushing and breathing
roughly. She was deep in her perversion.
Tio clung to Kaori beside her. Hajime lowered his hand and
returned the stake to “Treasure Warehouse” before returning
to his seat.
The evaluation the class held of him being a Demon King did not
change at all. Rather, the nickname of “Demon King of White
Hair” would soon spread throughout the Capital... He would
be mad if he heard about it.
「Haa, so? Don't you have a more normal request?」
Everyone sighed in relief.
The scene of a beautiful woman of marriageable age having her
hips torn through was avoided.

「R, right. Then let me lie with you. Look, Yue and Shea are always
 next to you, right? You never do that with me. I want to sleep
next to Master. How about it?」
「I can do that much... rather, say it from the start.」
「You said it so easily. I doubt I can hold myself back now.」
「Can't be helped,」Shea said as she looked at Tio.
Apparently, Hajime would lie between Yue and Tio...
The schoolgirls began making noise again. The schoolboys began
uttering curses.
Sleeping between two women is immoral, Aiko began saying.
Shea revealed the relation between the three of them. Yue
leaned against Hajime and licked her lips, emitting a
bewitching atmosphere. Half the class could not stand by
default because another part of them was standing... the
dining room turned chaotic in an instant.
Hajime ignored everything and simply thought about what
happened this day.
He had finished fixing Kaori in her new body, and she had, for the
first time, experienced free fall as she fell from 【Shinzan.】He
had seen a “Gold” adventurer being toyed with by a (wo)man
in the Adventurer Guild, and he had been trapped in a
confusing game of tag with the craftsmen of the Capital. He
had also gotten new tag-alongs including some of the students
and the princess of the Kingdom, and he had destroyed the
next king's first love.
During his free time, he met Aiko on accident. She confided in him
and told him her worries.
And now, there was a riot during their dinner. Such things
happened on his first day in the Capital. Hajime was destined
to be a maelstrom of turmoil.
Hajime would leave the Capital tomorrow and would take Liliana.
Though he did not intend to take her all the way to the
Empire's Capital... it was impossible to say he would not.
What could he expect in the east...
Hajime had a bad premonition when he felt the softness and
warmth of Yue who clung to his arm. He simply shrugged and
did as he wanted.
A forest wrapped deeply in fog. It was the world's largest
unexplored region, a danger zone considered one of the seven
Great Labyrinths --- 【Hartsenna Sea of Trees.】
Inside, it was a world of pure white where the dense fog was so
thick it blocked vision, and it also confused the senses, making
it difficult to carry out magic detection.
As such, it was impossible to deal with strong demons who could
act like normal in this region, and there was also a race
unaffected by this unexplored region --- Subhumans, who
wielded their arms to defend their homeland. Though both
Humans and Devils set foot in this land, not once did they
succeed to the end.
That was why 【Hartsenna Sea of Trees】was a base for
subhumans, why they defended this naturally built fortress.
The greatest place was 【Felbergan,】a nation of subhumans of
every race, and the place with the greatest war potential.
They could not match Humans or Devils outside this forest and
could only become content of being a slave, but so long as
there was a systematic defense, inside the Sea of Trees,
【Felbergan】would not fall---
Until this day.
The trees were burned. The Sea of Trees disappeared little by
little. Echoes of horror and roars sounded throughout
【Fellbergan.】
The serene silence, the world of white fog, it was destroyed.
The capital was a beautiful forest, and now it was covered in
smoke and blood, the houses burned to ashes, the earth
trodden by countless boots and beast prints.
The people who attacked this land were no longer here. However,
there were not many subhumans, either. They were not killed.
They were kidnapped.
「Hm. They defended to the death, yet it still led to this, how
 embarrassing.」
There was the shadow of a person overlooking the capital of
【Felbergan】by the now-collapsed gate where the survivors
ran about in confusion.
Rabbit ears waved about in the scorching wind. They were fluffy,
very cute, but the face of the owner was a stern one which
could bring despair to even beasts.
The rabbit-eared old man who had the atmosphere of a military
officer with a long record --- Cam Haulia. The head of the
Haulia Family.
Around Cam, shadows danced one after another. Before long,
numerous shadows gathered.
They were all members of the Haulia Family. The clan had
gathered. The world's weakest and kindest race, known for
their inability to fight, had the atmosphere of a battle-trained
soldier; everyone seeing this wanted to make a joke.
Their eyes were dangerous. Though 【Felbergan】was in such a
precarious state, they all had fearless smiles, like beasts who
knew not pessimism.
「Leader. I've gathered information on each village.」
「Say it.」
A powerful young man with a scar on his cheek began his report.
The content of the report was that the Rabbit Clan living on the
outskirts of 【Felbergan,】in a small village were missing.
Many of them had been taken away.
「Damage?」
「The Haulia aren't that stupid. There are some who are injured,
but none who can't participate in battle.」
「Good. Organize our forces. Follow me. I'm commanding. We'll
gather our strength and aim for a surprise attack.」
「Yes sir!」
The young man with rabbit ears saluted.
Dozens of people gathered behind Cam and the many people with
rabbit ears, each one thinking 「These people are
murderers!」
And though quiet, he spoke in a subdued voice.
「They're just garbage who invaded our territory.」
A thirst for blood built up around the rabbits.
「In kidnapping our brethren, they are treating us as nothing.」
A Bear Clansman who happened to pass by felt the killing intent
from the rabbit-eared people. 「Hii」he ran away.
Though the Bear Clan was particularly strong amongst
subhumans... He was like a little girl who met a bear in the
forest.
Cam spoke quietly.
「Can this be allowed?」
「「「「「No! No! No!」」」」」
Their roar echoed. The people, both those needing treatment and
those treating others, trembled.
「Will we bear with this silently as we have done before?」
「「「「「No! No! No!」」」」」
「That's right. No! We will not! We will no longer run and escape,
we are not a weak race who will simplly endure! We cannot
be! We who respect and adore the Boss will bet our pride on
it!」
Cam-san heat up. He clasped his fist and thrust it to the sky.
「Let us show them! What does the weakest fang feel like! We
will drive it into them! We will hammer into their very
existence what true fear is!」
「「「「「Slaughter! Assassinate! Behead! Cheers!」」」」」
Gasa Gasa, the sounds of running were heard. Looking further,
there were many demons such as wolves running away.
Apparently, they were aiming at a sneak attack, but they ran
away at full speed hearing the rabbit-ears' frightening cries.
The rabbits' urge to kill made demons run away...
Cam smiled in satisfaction seeing his subordinates. In the next
moment, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide,
「Those fools of the Empire --- We will show them reality!!」
He swung his fist down with his shout.
Naturally, it was met with an answer,
「「「「「YAHAAAAAAAAAAAA---!!」」」」」
Their cry shook the seas of trees.
「Enemy attack! Enemy attack!」someone shouted feeling the
tremors. Though it could not be helped, the man had
mistaken the Rabbit Clans' killing intent as another enemy
attack.
Confusion rapidly spread through 【Felbergan.】
The devil-remodeled rabbits gave a courageous shout without a
care.
Through the raging rabbits, the devil's hand extended outside the
Sea of Trees.

「Ha!?」
「Uo!? Shea, what happened?」
In a room in the palace of 【Hairihi Kingdom,】a rabbit-eared girl
suddenly woke up; seeing Shea stand so suddenly, Hajime
asked in shock.
Yue, Tio, and Kaori also looked at her.
「Ah, no, I'm sorry. I suddenly felt like Fataher and the others
were having one of their Hyaha moments...」
「Strange. Well, we'll be heading to the Sea of Trees in a bit, so
you'll see them again, maybe you're looking forward to it more
than expected.」
Seeing Hajime smile a little, Shea nodded, her rabbit ears
drooping in embarrassment.
「I think so too. I wonder if they're all doing well, though I
suppose it would be a bit dangerous for others if they were.」
「I wonder. I'm not the one who should say this, but... they are
the type to go berserk.」
「Uuu, I'm really worried now. They better be behaving
themselves!」
Her rabbit ears stood up, praying her wishes reached her family.
Surely, she did not imagine that at this time, her family was
picking a fight with a nation.
Nor could she imagine that this fight could affect the standing of
subhumans throughout the entire world.
This is a record of the every day life of Onee-sama, Yaegashi
Shizuku.
It is impertinent of me to write down the daily life of Onee-sama
as a mere imperial guard of the Princess, but I wish that, in 100
years, 1000 years, the truth of Onee-sama is not
misinterpreted by ignorant historians.

Now, “Who is Onee-sama,” you may as; for me, she is a shining
beacon of light whose name should be remembered
throughout history, but, inevitably, historical records,
textbooks, as I said before, they are prone to
misinterpretation. As a means of precaution, I shall record the
truth.

Onee-sama is a splendid fencer from another world.

She is undefeated by those in the same age group, and has cut
down challengers one after another, someone above he who
selfishly calls himself the strongest hero of the country.
Perhaps God, anticipating her skill, summoned her as a means to
bring salvation.
God, Good job!　
The other boy calls himself the Brave Man without permission,
and I'll leave out the rest since there's no need to talk about
any extras.

When you talk about Onee-sama, you must talk about her beauty,
intelligence, dignity, and kindness. She is not only talented in
the sword, she is excellent in her studies. She is someone who
embodies the peak of the literary and military paths. Even th
en, she smiles on others wonderfully without discrimination, a
person like a goddess.
You. Do you think I am exaggerating?

Very well. Then how about I impart upon you the wondrous
nature of Onee-sama? I will write down every detail that
comes to mind.

It was, right, when they had just been summoned, when the
Apostles needed training (For the time being, I will call them
such since it was God who summoned them.)
He was worried about the female Apostles; since female knights
are few in number, he came to me for help.
For the time being, Commander Meld, good job!
Because the Apostles were unrelated to fighting before, even if
demons were captured and weakened, it was not easy to kill
them; at that time, they received some slightly dangerous
attacks.
Naturally, I watched from the side and once saw an Apostle panic
in fear, making her magic explode on accident which caused
me to fall and twist my ankle.
It was embarrassing to be injured like this, but it is a simple injury
with no need to dress it, and I would be in top shape by the
end of training.
I left unnoticed and headed to the medical office, though I could
not walk that well because of the pain. When thinking about
magic, my body seemed to float.
Something strange happened, you know? Do you want to know?
Fine. I will tell you.
Onee-sama was carrying me like a princess!
「Your foot was hurt then, wasn't it? Sorry, I should have noticed
sooner.」
My mind grew blank from Onee-sama's gentle words.
And so, Onee-sama carried me to the medical office.
「Please don't mind too much about these things. We're your
students, right, Sensei?」
Onee-sama smiled as she said this. I felt my heart beat oddly
 hearing these words to a mere knight like myself.
I was embarrassed, I wanted to ask Onee-sama to let me down
since I was fine. This is natural. Not only did I trouble the
Apostle, but I was still wearing armor. I must be heavy! 「Eh,
what's with this woman? She's super heavy lol 」I never want
to hear something like that!
But instead, Onee-sama,
「No. It's fine because we're troubling you, so let me do this. And
even if you have all your equipment on, you're light, right?」
Saying this, Onee-sama smiled mischievously and shook me. I
clung to her unintentionally. I looked at Onee-sama and
sighed.
「... Onee-sama.」
Hearing me mutter this, Onee-sama laughed. I feel she had a
slightly cramped face, though.
「Um, I'm younger, aren't I?」
Naturally, I said nothing more as Onee-sama accepted me!
My life turned pink that moment.

Though I hold Onee-sama in high esteem, I hold one

dissatisfaction about her, and that is, aside from me, the Soul
Sisters have been mass-produced.
Beneath the surface, there was a fight with flesh and blood on the
light, but it could not be determined who the true Soul Sister
is, so it ended with the 《Soul Sisters》which acts to support
Onee-sama and prevent adversity from coming her way.
The target of this organization is Nia who is Onee-sama's maid,
we wish to take that position from her.
That woman, surely she must have lots of Onee-sama's private
property.
So jealous.

By the way, Onee-sama has an extremely intimate friend. Her

name is Shirasaki Kaori. Onee-sama always looks at Kaori-sama
with kind eyes, and such is the favorite dish of us Soul Sisters.
And that Kaori-sama is worried about Hajime-sama, the same
Apostle (laugh.) With him as a target, it is inevitable that Onee-
sama increases her interactions withHajime-sama.
That man, how many times must you satisfy yourself with Onee-
sama's kind words...
Anyway, she shows him a friendly attitude different from other
men. Though he's just a man who is like a worm on the
ground...
Speaking of intimate people, there's that self-styled Brave Man
recognized by his surroundings. When I get the chance, I'll put
a Dark Magic which makes him “unable to stop sneezing at
important moments” when I get the chance.

… When it was found out, Captain Kuzeri hit me a lot. How did
this happen?

Sad news. Onee-sama left for 【Orcus Great Labyrinth.】

There's no Onee-sama. The Soul Sisters are like corpses...

God news. Onee-sama returned from 【Orcus Great Labyrinth.】

Even so, it was not all good news.

I hear that Hajime-sama died. Kaori-sama is in shock; after
returning, she still is unconscious.
Onee-sama does not part from Kaori-sama's side; we can see how
upset she is.
Though Kaori-sama is in that state, it seems Onee-sama is also
upset that Hajime-sama has died.
When Kaori-sama regained sconsiousness, it seems she recovered
somewhat...
At this time, I noticed I misunderstood Onee-sama a little.
Onee-sama is unshakable. I thought this the case since God
brought her to me, but it seems that is not so.
Onee-sama is also a lone girl, a human who can be hurt.
The role of supporting Kaori-sama is but a front, Onee-sama was
also hurt almost as much as Kaori-sama. As one who has
watched her for a long time, I understand this.
It does not look like Kaori-sama's affection of love.
It is something simpler, the fact that she could not save a friend,
the fear of fighting, of dying; everything came all at once, and
it is clearly affecting Onee-sama.
Other than us Soul Sisters, no one seems to have noticed.
Naturally, we cannont leave Onee-sama unattended, we must
encourage her.
Of course, we Soul Sisters formed a strategy.
For now, the Soul Sisters will all give tribute.
Soul

Notice us, our beloved Onee-sama!

Because she smiled, I believe we helped her a little.
「Wh, why is everyone calling me Onee-sama? Rather, there are a
lot of people I don't know! How did it grow so much!?」
Though she had a cramp in her face while muttering, this much is
natural.
As evidence of her recover, Onee-sama once again challenged
【Orcus Great Labyrinth】and splendidly subjugated the
behemoth and reaching a level never before trodden.
As expected of Onee-sama.

When a messenger from the Empire arrived, Onee-sama

returned.
I must talk about this event by all means.
His Majesty, the Emperor, had a mock battle against the self-
styled Brave Man.
Is he a childhood friend? Either way, he is close to Onee-sama and
seems to accept his evaluation as a matter of course. Seeing
him in tatters, I thought 「Look at that, Brave Man!」after he
was beaten up a little, but...
A sudden event out of the blue.
It seems His Majesty the Emperor proposed to Onee-sama! That
 shit.
Naturally, I, as the Soul Sisters' representative, immediately apply
a Dark Magic to “make you surprisingly itchy between the
toes” on His Majesty.
Onee-sama will pull back, thinking he has athelete's foot!
I was sent flying by Captain Kuzeri.
「Are you trying to start a war!? You idiot!?」
Such anger.
Of course,
「For Onee-sama, I am prepared to make an enemy of the
world!」
My response fascinates even me, I must say.
I don't have memories of what happened after that.
It seems I was hit until I fainted.
But before I lost consciousness,
「... This one's already useless.」
I thought I heard Captain Kuzeri mutter this, but surely it is my
imagination.
But there is something more important, Onee-sama rejected His
Majesty, the Emperor's proposal.
Look at that, Emperor! Take that!!
Honestly, even to Onee-sama's words, he did not waver.
Just, objectively seeing it, a woman of the world should absolutely
rejoice in coming together with such a well-off man. His
Majesty's face is also not bad.
I must cut short such men in a single stroke, but I wonder what
taste in men she has.
It can't be, that self-styled Brave Man... I really cannot help but
become a devil.
I asked tensely. The conversation at that time is as follows.
「Onee-sama. Please tell me what kind of man you like.」
「For the time being, please stop calling me nee-sama. And you're
close. Your face needs to be at least 10 centimeters away.
Please, move back.」
「It can't be, someone like that Brave Man (laugh)?」
「Please don't add (laugh) to the end of my childhood friend.
Rather, aren't you Lily's guard? Is Kuzeri-san angry at you
again? And get away---」
「Her Highness doesn't matter. Onee-sama's story is more
important.」
「The Imperial Guard can't just say “It doesn't matter!” Rather,
get away! You're too close! Someone help! Kaori! Nia! Meld-
san! Isn't there someone here!?」
「It's fine. No one will come. There are only Soul Sisters around
here. Now, it won't be a problem, so please tell me.」
「There's nothing about your words that can put me at ease, are
there!?」
「I will weather all troubles, whether it be fire or water, until you
teach me. Inside the Great Labyrinth, even in bed!」
「Why did you emphasize the bed part!? I get it! I'll tell you! Hodl
it, where are you touching!」
I will not forget the rare scene of Onee-sama calling out with tears
in her eyes for all my life.
Standing against the wall suddenly, trembling for some reason.
She is probably embarrassed. So cute.
Furthermore, she is not speaking formally. It seems I have been
promoted to the favorite Soul Sister.
And while I was entranced, Onee-sama thought seriously.
「R, right~. Hm... A person who, defends me, I guess?」
There is one.
It's unexpected if you say it. But it's also not unexpected if you say
it's not.
Onee-sama, averting her gaze with a slight blush; rather than an
Apostle or a fencer, she just seems like an adolescent girl.
But this is a problem, since Onee-sama is the strongest. I can't
deny the possibility that she has surpassed the Brave Man
(laugh.)
Depending on the circumstances, it is possible neither His Majesty
the Emperor nor Commander Meld could defeat Onee-sama.
In short, a strong person who can defend Onee-sama does not
 exist...
「I see. In short, you have no interest in men! Good!」
「Why did it come to that!? Rather, your nose is bleeding a lot!
You're weird right now!」
After that, I lost consciousness again; it seems I bled a lot. Surely
this is compensation for staking my life.

Conclusion. Onee-sama is not interested in men. She is such a girl.

Sad news. Onee-sama left for 【Orcus Great Labyrinth】again.

The Soul Sisters' wails echo through the capital.

Good news. Onee-sama returned from 【Orcus Great Labyrinth.】

There is no Kaori.
Onee-sama seems lonely. Her black ponytail looks sad.
I will follow her.
With Kaori-sama gone, I will cut down even another step between
us... I will capture you. An Imperial Guard is no joke.
「I'm glad for your good will, but please apply that into your
duties of guarding Lily.」
Despite being lonely, Onee-sama is worried about Her Highness.
So gentle.
After everything settled down, I heard the story.
That Hajime was alive. Also, he gained a strength one would think
“Impossible~”
Though Onee-sama defeated many demons led by a Devil, he
saved her from her predicament...
Very good, Hajime-sama. You have my praise. You defended
Onee-sama.
「No, rather than the demons or his strength, there's more you
should hear...」
I will assert that nothing is more important than Onee-sama's
safety.
Onee-sama had expressions none of us new, rather, it seems she
 was beyond admiration as I heard the details of the story.
And,
「Right, I was surprised. I couldn't believe it, I guess? He appeared
by cutting through the ceiling of the Labyrinth I think? Was it a
pile bunker? Anyway, he crushed open a path from the upper
floors with a large stake. Those bright crimson sparks were
amazingly beautiful... And then Nagumo-kun jumped down
afterward. Do you know what he said first? “You two are as
close as always.” He was talking like always, you know? The
surrounding demons, the devil, he had an attitude like it was
no problem at all. Rather, didn't he have a lot of room to
spare? He took a rail gun which only exists in the scifi in our
world and---」
She spoke for an hour non-stop, and even I could not memorize
everything despite my Onee-sama limited perfect memory.
And her eyes were like stars. She was very excited.
This is an Onee-sama I have never seen. Rather, she looks like a
young girl meeting a hero---
There's more. Onee-sama spoke about Hajime-sama hotly while
grasping a strange sword on her knee.
To stop Onee-sama from continuing to talk for a long time, I asked
about the sword.
And,
「This? This is... um, Nagumo-kun thought I might be troubled
since my old sword b roke. I'm always indebted to you, he said.
Originally, the swordsmanship I practice utilizes a curved,
single-edge sword --- though it's generally called a sword in my
world, this is what I use. He really did help me with this. And
isn't it amazing? He lightly said it would cut well, but cutting
well doesn't even reach this level. Honestly, its sharpness is at
a level that I want to retort! The balance is perfect, the weight
is just right, it's like a sword made just for me! It's a really
amazing sword! It's unexpected, honestly! Do you
understand!? Furthermore, that Nagumo-kun---」
… Right. I'll kill Hajime-sama. It's the best way to deal with him.
I decided at that moment.
It can't be helped. Onee-sama won't stop talking and has been
hugging that black sword Hajime-sama made all this time.
Rather, she even rubbed her cheeks against it.
「I'm so happy!」is overflowing from her entire being.
Surely, no, I am certain, there is no doubt, she is not joyful from
Hajime-sama's present, though she certainly is happy from
receiving a good sword; to make Onee-sama have such an
expression, I cannot help but curse him.
He is the most powerful enemy for us Soul Sisters.

After that, the palace became strange; I, in haste, was called back
to my parents' family. They live in an earldom to the northwest
of the capital. My grandfather passed.
Hoenstly, I did not want to leave Onee-sama's side, but my
brother, a civil servant, drugged me and pulled me back while I
was asleep. I was unconscious. Also, brother, I will never
forgive you.

I returned to the palace.

The beautiful meadow in front of the capital is properly gone. The
soaring outer walls have large holes as if to vent something,
and the orderly training grounds have collapsed, as if it were a
battlefield.
Incidentally, the King died.
Many of my friends died, with Commander Meld on the top of
the list.
What in the world happened?
My brother received a report as we returned, 「Uboaa」he
groaned and fainted. Anyway, Onee-sama is safe. That is most
important.
「Onee-sama! Ahh, Onee-sama! It's great you are safe!」
「Where have you been until now... Ah, right, you went to your
parents' house before the attack? Good, you weren't pulled
into the attack.」
Hearing Onee-sama's words, I rejoiced to the point where it felt
like my chest would burst. I forgot about the remark where she
forgot about me, Soul Sisters don't worry about the details.
I hear the details from Onee-sama.
The Devils invaded. Eri-sama betrayed us. The numerous victims.
Hajime-sama's return. Heaven's punishment. Kaori-sama's
great transformation...
It seems a lot happened.

But, what do I say --- That white guy.

His atmosphere and appearance changed, I can't see that he is
Hajime-sama.
I've met him after what feels like a long time. I'll use Dark Magic
that “gives him a stomach ache he can't endure” which I just
developed.
Hehe, I've already gathered all the toilet paper. I experimented
with this magic on the men who had eyes on Onee-sama and
disguised it as food poisoning, so I'm sure it will work. Though
it was a disaster since there's no toilet paper near the dining
hall, well, that's a trivial matter.
Now, before these beauties, I will give you a new black history!

Though I thought so, I stopped.

No matter what, you saved Onee-sama.
Hajime-sama, good job!
I will overlook it this time. I definitely am not afraid of that golden
haired beauty always at his side. No matter when I aim at him,
when she stares at me with those inorganic eyes, I am not
afraid.

Rather, what is this, that group. Kaori-sama certainly has become

amazing, but it feels like a gathering of monsters.
And they're all super beauties. Though they lose to Onee-sama.
That group of beauties all love Hajime-sama.
Honestly, always making noise about your love. You should take a
 leaf from Onee-sama's book a bit.
See, look at Onee-sama's dignified figure.
…
…
…
Oh? Onee-sama looks...
She is beside Hajime-sama before I notice it.
She is chasing Hajime-sama with her eyes before I notice it.
Why do you seem happy when Hajime-sama teases you?
Why do you have a complicated expression when Hajime-sama
interacts with other women?

No, this is a groundless suspicion.

Because Kaori-sama is next to Hajime-sama, Onee-sama must be
looking at her. Since he is beside Kaori-sama, it is no different
from watching Kaori-sama. That complex emotion, perhaps
she is worried because her best friend is being taken away.
That must be it.
As evidence,
「... Onee-sama. By chance, Onee-sama, do you have feelings for
Hajime-sama?」
I'll hear it straight.
「... What are you saying? Isn't that impossible?」
She looks upset without a single blush.
As expected of Onee-sama. She won't give her heart to any man!
I'm relieved, I took a drink and slept well that night.

Sad news. Onee-sama went on a journey with Hajime-sama.

Rather, I was left behind even though I am the Princess's Imperial

Guard.

Why. What is this. A plot is afoot.

「You were neglecting your duties. You were dismissed from the
Imperial Guard. Start from the beginning under me, you
 idiot.」
Commander Kuzeri said this, but I don't understand.
It can't be, Onee-sama is going together with that man.
The blunder of a lifetime!
At this point, I can only pray.

Onee-sama.
Please, against that man --- “Defend yourself” please.
All of us Soul Sisters believe in Onee-sama!